Department for Transport

Electric Scooters

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote the use of electric scooters.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport encourages innovation in transport, but not at the expense of road safety. It is important to ensure that new vehicles such as a e-scooters are built and can operate safely, both for people riding them and for other people using the roads. Whilst e-scooters can be used on private property (with the landowner’s permission), in general it is illegal to ride them on the road. This includes on cycle lanes, or tracks, or on the pavement.An information sheet on powered transporters, including electric scooters, and where they can be used is available online atwww.gov.uk/government/publications/powered-transporters/information-sheet-guidance-on-powered-transporters.Through the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, the Department is exploring how new technologies are changing the nature of transport. The Department will consider how the UK can take full advantage of these changes, and make UK transport infrastructure and regulation fit for the future.

Aviation: Recruitment

Jim Shannon: To ask Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that demand for pilots is being met in the aviation sector.

Jesse Norman: Through the Government’s Aviation Strategy consultation, the Department is working with industry to ensure the next generation of aviation professionals is both attracted and retained. The consultation includes proposals for overcoming financial, social mobility and diversity barriers which may prevent skilled individuals from entering the aviation sector.

Air Pollution

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made in implementing the recommendations made by the joint inquiry into improving air quality that the Government aligns (a) climate change schemes, (b) urban planning, (c) public transport and (d) fiscal incentives with air quality goals to prevent its policy from working at cross-purposes.

Jesse Norman: The Government responded in full to the recommendations on 22 May 2018. The Government’s focus in the immediate term is on bringing forward compliance with legal limits for NO2 concentrations, and stakeholders from seven departments take part in the governance of the NO2 Plan in order to ensure that policies are closely aligned.The Government published its new Clean Air Strategy on 14 January 2019, setting out a comprehensive plan to tackle air pollution, aimed at all sectors of industry and society.

Taxis: Guide Dogs

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will publish a timeframe for the introduction of legislation to address discrimination against guide dog owners using taxis.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: It is already illegal for a taxi or private hire driver to refuse carriage to a passenger on the grounds that they are accompanied by an assistance dog. Responsibility for ensuring that drivers understand their legal duties, and for taking action against those alleged to have acted discriminatorily, rests with local licensing authorities.

Cycling and Walking: Liverpool City Region

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Liverpool City Region will receive funding from his Department to implement the local cycling and walking infrastructure plan.

Jesse Norman: As set out in the answer to PQ 226496, Liverpool City Region has already received £172.5 million from the Transforming Cities Fund to improve and support new local transport links; these funds are available to be spent on cycling and walking schemes if they are prioritised. In general, it is for local authorities to identify and prioritise investment for cycling and walking schemes from local funds and relevant national funding streams. Funding opportunities are available through a range of local transport and place based funds, including the Highways Maintenance Fund, Integrated Transport Block, Future High Streets Fund, Housing Infrastructure Fund and the Clean Air Fund.

Cycling: Liverpool

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to encourage cycling in Liverpool in the last 12 months.

Jesse Norman: The Department has provided Liverpool City Region with dedicated transport planning support to enable the development of the city’s Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).The Department has also awarded the Liverpool City Region £172.5 million from the Transforming Cities Fund to improve and support new local transport links. It is for the City Region and Mayor to identify and prioritise investment for cycling and walking schemes, including from existing local highways funds.The Department continues to support Bikeability cycle training in Liverpool and has provided funding to enable delivery of more than 10,000 training places for children in Liverpool City Region in 2018/19.

Tyres: Safety

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's policy on serving advisory notices on tyres found to be in a dangerous condition but which are not illegal at MOT examinations; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to improving road safety, and ensuring the compliance of vehicles with safety regulations is important to reducing collisions and casualties.The condition of tyres is checked at the annual roadworthiness inspection and if they do not meet the standards the vehicle will fail. Advisory notices are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s assessors as part of a heavy vehicle annual test, and by MOT testers as to items the driver should monitor.The Department for Transport will consult on requirements for a maximum age for tyres on heavy goods vehicles, buses, coaches and minibuses, and how to enforce these new requirements will be considered as part of this process.In September 2017, a heavy goods vehicle travelling on the M5 suffered a tyre blow-out and crossed the central reservation and collided with oncoming traffic. At the recent Coroner’s inquest independent experts testified that the age of the tyre was a factor. Their analysis fits with the Department’s own emerging body of evidence.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which ports with waste reception facilities are compliant with the International Maritime Organisation’s mandatory guidelines on exhaust gas cleaning systems; and when each of those ports was last inspected for compliance.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) conducts inspections of UK ports against the approved Port Waste Management Plans held by them. These plans include the handling of exhaust gas cleaning residues. The inspections are conducted independently on each port, and the MCA has not observed a need to generate statistical information covering the entirety of UK ports.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many merchant vessels on the UK Ship Register use fuel which is compliant with the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.5 per cent cap on the sulphur content of shipping exhaust emissions from 1 January 2020.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of internationally registered merchant vessels using sea routes from UK ports that use fuel that is compliant with the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.5 per cent cap on the sulphur content of shipping exhaust emissions to be introduced on 1 January 2020.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of internationally registered merchant vessels regularly using sea routes from UK ports that use fuel that is compliant with the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.5 per cent cap on the sulphur content of shipping exhaust emissions to be introduced on 1 January 2020.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of internationally registered merchant vessels regularly plying trade on routes from UK ports that use fuel which is compliant with the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.5% cap on the sulphur content of shipping exhaust emissions to be introduced on 1 January 2020.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As the IMO 2020 requirements are not yet in force ships are not currently required to make use of compliant fuel and information on the use of 0.5% fuel is not being recorded. We would expect operators to begin moving into compliance in late 2019. All ships which operate in ECA designated waters have been using 0.1 per cent sulphur fuel since 2015 or an equivalent means of compliance. Whilst in these waters, these ships would be meeting the requirements of the 0.5 per cent global cap.

Shipping: Registration

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new vessels were registered on the UK Ship Register in each month between January 2018 and January 2019.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of vessels over 100 Gross Tonnage (GT) that were registered on the UK Ship Register in each month between January 2018 and January 2019 is shown below: MonthNumber of VesselsJanuary 20188February 20185March 20185April 20186May 201811June 20187July 20188August 20189September 20184October 20184November 20184December 20183January 20193

Shipping: Alternative Fuels and Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to the shipping industry on (a) alternative fuels and (b) exhaust gas cleaning systems; and when that guidance was last updated.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The guidance on exhaust gas cleaning systems was issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in a Marine Guidance Notice (MGN 510) in January 2015. The MCA has not issued guidance to the shipping industry on alternative fuels.

Egypt: Airports

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he undertook a review of security at Sharm El Sheikh Airport during the Prime Minister's recent visit to Egypt; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The UK Government continues to work closely with its Egyptian counterparts, sharing our expertise in establishing effective security arrangements at all Egyptian airports including Sharm el-Sheikh. We look forward to achieving the return of flights once we can be assured that the necessary security requirements can be sustained.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Electricity and Natural Gas: Licensing

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applications for (a) electricity supply standard licences and (b) gas supply standard licences were submitted to Ofgem in (i) 2018, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2016 (iv) 2015 and (v) 2014.

Claire Perry: This is a matter for Ofgem, who as regulator is responsible for decisions to grant, extend, restrict and revoke gas and electricity supply licences. I have asked Ofgem to write directly to the Honourable Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Energy: Meters

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many smart meters have malfunctioned since their installation and have needed to be replaced.

Claire Perry: The Department does not hold this information. Energy suppliers are responsible for ensuring meters – whether smart or traditional - are fully functional.

Energy: Meters

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many smart meters have caused electrical problems in premises after installation.

Claire Perry: Safety related monitoring data, collected by industry parties, shows nearly 3.2 million smart and traditional electricity meters were installed in 2018. The same industry data reported 546 electrical issues in premises following these installations. Smart meter installers carry out visual safety checks as standard as part of the installation process. In 2018, over 240,000 pre-existing safety-related electrical issues were proactively identified by meter installers through visual safety checks. Identified issues included problems with consumer units, inadequate earthing or unsafe electrical appliances.

Fracking: Earthquakes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations governing earthquakes as a result of fracking.

Claire Perry: The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. These regulations have been working as intended and there are no plans to review the traffic light system.

Space: EU Action

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of reduced participation in EU Space programmes on the (a) maintenance  levels of (i) experience and (ii) skills in the UK’s space Industrial base and (b) the capacity to deliver future National Space Programmes including GNSS.

Chris Skidmore: The UK space sector is one of the fastest growing areas of the UK economy and, as a world leader in satellite and secure software technology, the UK space industry creates high-skilled jobs across the UK. As the recently published ‘Size and Health of the UK Space Industry’ report highlights, the UK space sector is worth an estimated £14.8 billion. It employs 41,900 people and contributes £5.7 billion to UK GDP. Income dependent on EU space programmes represents a relatively small proportion (2.5%) of the total income for the sector. As the UK’s withdraws from the European Union (EU), it is important that the UK continues to champion the sector, including supporting opportunities for exports and strengthening the UK’s active role in the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA is a non-EU intergovernmental organisation and is a world leader in the exploration of space. The UK has the skills, expertise and commitment to deliver future National space programmes, including a possible UK GNSS, and this programme represents a significant opportunity for the UK in line with the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy. This will help to ensure important skills and knowledge are retained within the UK and that the UK’s successful space sector continues to thrive.

Space: EU Action

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the risk to (a) UK national security and (b) the capacity to deliver UK space programmes of the UK not participating in EU space programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Skidmore: The Government’s intention is for the UK to continue to participate in EU space programmes when we leave the EU. However, the EU’s current offer for UK participation in Galileo does not meet our red lines. My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minster therefore announced that we would not be using Galileo for Defence or Critical National Infrastructure. As a responsible Government, we are actively mitigating possible risks related to a lack of participation in EU space programmes after we leave the EU. For instance, we are developing options for a UK Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). As a world leader in satellite and secure software technology, the UK space industry is resilient and has the skills, expertise and commitment to deliver future UK space programmes.

Hunterston B Power Station: Closures

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the planned shutdown date is for Hunterston (B) nuclear power station; what the electricity generation capacity is of that power station; and what plans his Department has to replace that capacity.

Richard Harrington: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 01 March 2019.The correct answer should have been:

Hunterston B nuclear power station has a generating capacity of 965 megawatts. EDF’s estimated decommissioning date is 20232024. This Government remains committed to delivering secure electricity supplies to consumers at the lowest possible cost. We demonstrated this commitment by giving the go-ahead to the first new nuclear power station in a generation at Hinkley Point C, as well as by launching our landmark £200m Nuclear Sector Deal last year.

Richard Harrington: Hunterston B nuclear power station has a generating capacity of 965 megawatts. EDF’s estimated decommissioning date is 20232024. This Government remains committed to delivering secure electricity supplies to consumers at the lowest possible cost. We demonstrated this commitment by giving the go-ahead to the first new nuclear power station in a generation at Hinkley Point C, as well as by launching our landmark £200m Nuclear Sector Deal last year.

Employment Tribunals Service: Non-payment

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the employment tribunal naming scheme.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government launched the scheme as part of the Good Work Plan in response to concerns that rates of employment tribunal payments are unacceptably low. Employers who have failed to pay a tribunal award of £200 or more at least 84 days after the original judgment will be eligible for naming. The scheme was launched on 18 December 2018 and the Government will publish the first list of employers in due course. Therefore, it is too early to have assessed the effectiveness of the scheme.

Employment Tribunals Service: Non-payment

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what ongoing estimate he is making of the number of people who have not received payments due to them following employment tribunals and mediation processes.

Kelly Tolhurst: It is right that people get what they are owed, and we know employment tribunal awards are not always paid promptly. Government commissioned research in 2013 found that only 53% of successful claimants received full or part payment without enforcement action. 35% had not received any payment at all. Following this research Government introduced the BEIS penalty scheme in 2016 and have since recovered over £1.5 million to workers of previously unpaid awards. We will now also name employers who do not pay employment tribunal awards within a reasonable period. We have also recently commissioned research on employment tribunals that will include payment rate information for employment tribunal awards, Acas conciliated and private settlements.

Energy: Meters

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he has made an analysis of how many customers in the UK are currently unable to have a SMETS2 smart meter installed for technical reasons.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the waiting time for the technical solution for all homes to have a SMETS2 smart meter installed.

Claire Perry: Energy suppliers are continuing to increase their SMETS2 meter installations with over 450,000 in operation across Great Britain as of 27th February 2019. The national communications infrastructure is open and available for energy suppliers to install SMETS2 meters. Some energy suppliers do not yet have SMETS2 meters that meet the required Radio Frequency (RF) limits in all regions. The energy suppliers that are impacted by this issue are working with their respective meter manufacturers to ensure the meters in question meet the required limits as soon as possible. A number of the relevant suppliers expect devices that meet the required RF limits to be available for testing from April this year.

Energy: Plastics and Technology

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce unnecessary use of plastics and (b) encourage the use of mobile phone apps and other technologies by energy suppliers.

Claire Perry: The Government set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan our commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042; my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set out in our Resource and Waste Strategy how we will do this. These proposals are subject to consultation, which will close on 13 May. The UK is building a sustainable plastics industry through research and innovation. The Department is working through UKRI and closely with industry is providing up to £60 million through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to establish the UK as the world’s leading innovator in smart sustainable plastic packaging, and gathering international experts to tackle marine plastic waste through the Commonwealth Marine Plastics Research and Innovation Framework. These activities will ensure that we produce, consume and treat plastics sustainably. The Government is working with Ofgem, the energy regulator, on various initiatives to improve data quality and data access in order to enable the wider use of new technologies in the energy market. A key part of this is midata in energy intervention, which will provide customers a secure way to quickly and easily give accredited third parties access to their energy data; encouraging consumer engagement and driving market innovation and competition. The future energy retail market review is looking at measures to reduce barriers to innovation and open up the market to new types of propositions. In addition, BEIS has recently launched the Smart Energy Savings (SENS) competition which will provide up to £4.4m of funding to support the development and trialling of products and services that use smart meter data to help consumers manage their energy use.

Wonga: Complaints

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support previous customers of Wonga who have outstanding complaints against that company since it entered administration.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 04 March 2019



Any outstanding complaints are being dealt with directly by the joint administrators of Wonga Group Limited. The joint administrators, along with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Ombudsman have issued advice to former customers of Wonga on how to submit any complaints or claims and the process under which they will be dealt with.

Electricity: Costs

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to update his Department’s assessment of the levelised cost of electricity across all generation sources.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he last carried out an assessment of the levelised cost of electricity across all generation sources.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out his Department’s most recent assessment of the levelised cost of electricity from (a) onshore wind, (b) offshore wind, (c) large scale solar photovoltaic and (d) nuclear energy sources.

Claire Perry: The Department has updated their assessment of the levelised cost of electricity and plans to publish this in due course. The Department’s most recent published assessment of the levelised cost of electricity was published in 2016[1]. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beis-electricity-generation-costs-november-2016

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what legislation will give effect to advances in EU employment rights being replicated in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 04 March 2019



My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has committed that following further cross-party talks, we will bring forward detailed proposals to ensure that as we leave the EU, we not only protect workers’ rights, but continue to enhance them. We intend that the legislation will give Parliament a vote on whether it wishes to follow suit whenever the EU standards in areas such as employment rights and health and safety at work are judged to have been strengthened. It would also allow Parliament to ensure that leaving the EU will not lead to any lowering of these standards.

Manufacturing Industries: Robots

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK factories that used robots in the manufacturing process in each year since 2010.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cybercrime: USA

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to enhance co-operation with the US on cybersecurity after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK already has a strong and deep partnership with the United States on cyber security. Our cooperation covers the full range of cyber security issues, including joint action to expose irresponsible state behaviour in cyberspace which we have jointly attributed over the past year. We also work closely in a range of international forums such as the G7, G20, NATO and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and this will be particularly important in the lead up to the United Nation’s discussions surrounding responsible state behaviour in cyberspace in the context of international security. In addition to this strong partnership, the UK is strengthening its bilateral relationship with a number of European partners which is designed to ensure the UK remains a thought leader on cyber security issues.​

Nepal: Economic Growth and Tourism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Nepalese Government on support for (a) economic growth and (b) tourism in that country.

Mark Field: ​I met Foreign Minister Gyawali twice last year in Kathmandu and at the UN in New York to discuss a range of issues, including economic growth and tourism, which are vital for the Government of Nepal to realise its ambition to become a middle-income country by 2030. My officials supported a visit by the Finance Minister on 20-22 February 2019. The UK and Nepal have a friendly and long-standing relationship, and we have offered support for Nepal's Visit Nepal 2020 campaign, sharing expertise from our own GREAT Britain campaign. We are also in the final stages of negotiating a Double Taxation Agreement with Nepal to promote British investment.

Saudi Arabia: Political Prisoners

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the indefinite detention of senior political opponents in that country.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary visited Saudi Arabia last weekend, where he raised a series of human rights issues. We regularly raise our concerns about human rights with Saudi Arabia, which remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty, women’s rights and restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief.​

Syria: Peacekeeping Operations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with coalition partners on peacekeeping in the Afrin region to protect Kurdish civilians from extremist forces.

Alistair Burt: We have had no recent discussions with coalition partners on peacekeeping in the Afrin region, as the coalition does not operate in this area. We continue to monitor the situation in Afrin, and have made clear to Turkey the importance we attach to protection of civilians there.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the British Embassy is taking to assist (a) civil society and (b) opposition politicians in Zimbabwe.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK provides extensive financial and technical assistance to civil society organisations in Zimbabwe who support Zimbabwean citizens in holding the state to account. We do not publicise our partners to avoid putting them at risk.The UK does not support any candidate or political party in Zimbabwe. We have made clear to the Government of Zimbabwe that opposition parties should be free to campaign peacefully. UK diplomats hold regular meetings with political leaders from all main parties. Our Ambassador last met with the main opposition The Movement for Democratic Change Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa on 16 January.

Yemen: Foreign Relations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Prime Minister met with Yemen President Hadi at the EU-Arab Summit in Sharm El Sheikh on 24 to 25 February 2019.

Alistair Burt: While Ministers did not meet President Hadi during the EU-Arab Summit on 24 February 2019, I did meet him on 19 February. I also met Yemen's Foreign Minister, al-Yamani, at the Summit.The UK is playing a leading role in efforts to promote peace and implement the confidence building measures agreed in Stockholm in December. We remain in close contact with all the key parties, including the Government of Yemen, to work together towards a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Egypt: Human Rights

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether officials in his Department have plans to raise the human rights situation in Egypt at the next UN Human Rights Council session.

Alistair Burt: We have continuing concerns about the human rights situation in Egypt, and raise these regularly with the Egyptian authorities. We and our partners have previously highlighted our concerns in the UN Human Rights Council, and we will do so again at the next UN Human Rights Council session.

Egypt: Capital Punishment and Torture

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Egyptian counterpart on (a) the use of the death penalty and (b) reports of violations of international fair trial guarantees and forced confessions in that country.

Alistair Burt: Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly raises human rights issues, including about the use of the death penalty and due process in trials, with the Egyptian Government.

Egypt: Journalism

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Egyptian counterpart on the imprisonment of (a) Ahmed Gamal Ziada, (b) Mahmoud Hussein (c) Ismail Alexandrani, (d) Hisham Gaafar and (e) other journalists in that country.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of recent reports of the imprisonment of these individuals and of other journalists in Egypt. We are very concerned about restrictions on media freedom in Egypt. Our Ambassador in Cairo has therefore raised several of these cases and our wider concerns with the Egyptian Assistant Minister for Human Rights on 21 February.

Djibouti: Civil Liberties

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Djibouti on fundamental freedoms including religious expression in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: The United Kingdom participated, alongside our EU partners, in the regular Article 8 Dialogue with the Government of Djibouti in April 2018, where concerns about the inhibition of fundamental freedoms were raised.The Foreign Secretary announced, on 31 October, our intention to open a new Embassy in Djibouti by the end of March 2020. A permanent presence in Djibouti, part of the Government's increased resource to deliver the Prime Minister's new approach to Africa, will enable a broader and more regular dialogue with the Government of Djibouti.

Hezbollah

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with his Middle Eastern counterparts on the role of Hezbollah in the Government of Lebanon.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary spoke to Lebanese Foreign Minister Bassil on 25 February when he expressed his concerns over Hizballah's actions in the region.

Israel: Eurovision Song Contest

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on a potential boycott of the  Eurovision song contest in that country; and what advice his Department provides to UK citizens planning to attend that event.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the campaign to boycott the Eurovision song contest in Israel but have not raised this issue with the Israeli Government. While we do not hesitate to express disagreement with Israel whenever we feel it necessary, we are strongly opposed to boycotts which divide people and reduce understanding. We encourage all British nationals to make use of our travel advice, alongside other sources of information available to them, to help them plan for a safe trip.

Hezbollah

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions British embassy staff in Beirut have met representatives of Hezbollah in the last two years.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to put in place a protocol to ensure that there is no contact between British embassy staff in Beirut and Hezbollah Ministers in the Government of Lebanon; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We have had a no-contact policy with the entirety of Hizballah for a number of years. The Home Secretary made clear this position in a Parliamentary debate on 26 February.

Burma: Peace Negotiations

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will review the UK’s support for the current peace process in Myanmar.

Mark Field: A successful peace process is a vital part of the democratic transition in Burma. The main vehicle for the UK's support to the peace process, the Joint Peace Fund, has undergone a thorough independent assessment of progress and challenges. Our peace building programme in Burma is reviewed annually. The UK will continue our support for the peace process through technical advice and expertise. We have been clear that Burmese military conduct in states such as Shan, Kachin and in the south-east is under international scrutiny, as in Rakhine.

Burma: Violence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of diplomatic initiatives to prevent further violence between government forces and ethnic military groups in Karen and Rakhine states in Myanmar.

Mark Field: I set out UK concerns on the recent increase in violence in Rakhine State between the Burmese military and the Arakan Army in a statement on 18 January. We regularly raise concerns with the Burmese regime about conflicts in Burma, calling on all parties to cease fighting and allow access for humanitarian aid. International attention and diplomatic initiatives can play a role in limiting violence and promoting responsible conduct but an agreed peace settlement is the best way to bring about a sustainable end to violence. The UK will continue to support the peace process in Burma.

India: Pakistan

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to UK Citizens stranded abroad as a result of the grounding of flights following the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.

Mark Field: We update travel advice rapidly whenever there is an escalation of this sort of tension. Specifically, we continue to keep our travel advice under review and updated to reflect developments in India and Pakistan. Our staff have also been responding to phone calls and emails from British nationals.Any British nationals or family members who have concerns can contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Affected individuals in Pakistan or India can contact their nearest British High Commission or Deputy High Commission. Affected individuals in any other country should contact the British High Commission / British Embassy in that country.

Attorney General

Intestacy

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Attorney General , how many and what proportion of referrals to the Bona Vacantia Division of the Government Legal Department have come from (a) local authorities, (b) hospital trusts, (c) coroners and (d) other organisations and individuals in each year since 2012.

Robert Buckland: The following table provides the number of referrals received from (a) local authorities, (b) hospital trusts, (c) coroners and (d) other organisations and individuals in each financial year since 2012:  Local AuthoritiesHospital TrustsCoronersOther Organisations and Individuals2011-201285016777312012-201384815126592013-201482715529802014-201568479741552015-2016653101423722016-20175688929842017-2018909108117522018-to date4386101158 These figures relate to intestate estates only and do not include companies. The following table provides the breakdown by percentage of total number of referrals in the same period:  Total Number of ReferralsLocal AuthoritiesHospital TrustsCoronersOther Organisations and Individuals2011-2012175548.4%9.5%0.4%41.7%2012-2013166051.1%9.1%0.1%39.7%2013-2014196442.1%7.9%0.1%49.9%2014-2015492513.9%1.6%0.1%84.4%2015-2016313020.9%3.2%0.1%75.8%2016-2017164334.6%5.4%0.1%59.9%2017-2018277032.8%3.9%0.05%63.25%2018-to date165726.4%3.7%0%69.9%

Offences against Children: Plea Bargaining

Sarah Champion: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of prosecutions for child sexual abuse involved a defendant who accepted charges prior to trial due to a plea bargain initiated by the CPS in 2017.

Robert Buckland: Prosecutors do not offer “plea bargains” to defendants and therefore no statistics are recorded. The general principles to be followed by prosecutors in considering accepting pleas offered by the defence to alternative or fewer offences are set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors 2018 and the Attorney General’s Guidelines on the Acceptance of Pleas 2012. Prosecutors should only accept the defendant’s plea if they think the court is able to pass a sentence that matches the seriousness of the offending.

Offences against Children: Plea Bargaining

Sarah Champion: To ask the Attorney General, how many plea bargains were (a) offered to and (b) accepted by defendants prosecuted under sections 5-9, section 16 and section 25 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in 2017.

Robert Buckland: Prosecutors do not offer “plea bargains” to defendants and therefore no statistics are recorded. The general principles to be followed by prosecutors in considering accepting pleas offered by the defence to alternative or fewer offences are set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors 2018 and the Attorney General’s Guidelines on the Acceptance of Pleas 2012. Prosecutors should only accept the defendant’s plea if they think the court is able to pass a sentence that matches the seriousness of the offending.

Department of Health and Social Care

Dental Services: Regulation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that teeth-whitening procedures are undertaken by regulated professionals.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures through better training for practitioners, and clear information so that people can make informed decisions about their care. Teeth whitening is the practice of dentistry and teeth whitening products containing or releasing between 0.1% and 6% hydrogen peroxide can only be sold to dental practitioners. By law, dentistry must only be carried out by dental professionals who are registered with the General Dental Council. It is a criminal offence for anyone other than a registered dentist, or a registered dental practitioner acting under the supervision of a dentist, to offer teeth whitening. The General Dental Council or Trading Standards have powers to investigate and refer for prosecution unregistered individuals or businesses offering teeth whitening services.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with serious fatigue syndrome in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: No estimate has been made. Departmental officials do not recognise the diagnosis term “serious fatigue syndrome”.

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his policy paper Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024: the UK's 5-year national action plan, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the UK’s childhood vaccination programme on levels of anti-microbial resistance in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: ‘Tackling antimicrobial resistance (2019-24): The UK’s five-year national action plan’, recognises that immunisation is one of the most effective public health interventions to prevent infection in humans and animals. Vaccination programmes have been successful and cost-effective in helping avert millions of cases of childhood illness, with large reductions in cases of serious infections. By reducing the burden of infection, vaccine programmes play an important role in reducing levels of antibiotic prescribing and therefore the selective pressure for the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. The childhood pneumococcal vaccine programme has led to declines in some antibiotic resistant clones of pneumococcus that are covered by the PCV13 vaccine. Also, the influenza vaccination programme helps to reduce the use of and requirement for antibiotics by reducing cases of respiratory illness and of secondary bacterial pneumonia. In addition, the new Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Healthcare Associated Infections Working Group, set up to review and provide preliminary advice to JCVI on the potential use of appropriate vaccines in the United Kingdom, will help to address this issue.

Radiology

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of adequacy of the number of trained radiologists.

Steve Brine: Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017 which commits to the expansion of capacity and skills including an ambition to increase improved working practices, attracting qualified people back to the National Health Service through domestic and international recruitment. This will include 668 more, full time equivalent, clinical radiologists and investing in 300 reporting radiographers by 2021 to support an increase in the capacity for earlier diagnosis.Following publication of the NHS Long Term Plan in January 2019, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, working closely with Sir David Behan, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key NHS interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider detailed proposals to grow the workforce rapidly, including staff working on cancer, consider additional staff and skills required, build a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff.

Radioisotopes

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of radioisotope suppliers have confirmed that freight provisions are in place to avoid delays at ports preventing people accessing cancer treatments as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: Leaving the European Union with a deal remains the Government’s top priority - this has not changed. However, as a responsible Government, we must plan for every possible outcome including ‘no deal’. The Department has published guidance to industry and the health and care system to allow them to make informed plans and preparations. This is available on GOV.UK.We are reliant on transport and freight being re-routed but are confident that, if everyone – including suppliers, freight companies, the health and care system and international partners - does what they should do, the supply of medicines and other medical products, including medical radioisotopes, will be uninterrupted.The Department has put in place a multi-layered approach to minimise any supply disruption:- securing, via the Department for Transport, additional roll on roll off freight capacity (away from the short straits crossings to Dover and Folkestone) for goods to continue to come into the United Kingdom from 29 March;- asking industry to build up stockpiles in the UK before 29 March;- buying extra warehouse space for the additional stock to be held in;- supporting companies in booking space on aeroplanes for products which require an immediate shipment due to short shelf-life, including medical radioisotopes, or specific storage conditions;- making changes to, or clarifications of, certain regulatory requirements so that companies can continue to sell their products in the UK even if we have ‘no deal’; and- strengthening the processes and resources used to deal with shortages in the event that they do occur.There is cross-Government agreement that all medicines and medical products will be prioritised on these alternative routes to ensure that the flow of all these products may continue unimpeded. For any products that require air freight, such as medical radioisotopes, we are continuing to work with suppliers to ensure this continues as normal.

NHS: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many occasions the ministerial board on workforce has met since it was created; if he will provide a summary of discussions and decisions taken by that board; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Workforce Steering Group, which was chaired by the then Minister of State for Health (Rt. hon. Philip Dunne MP), met four times over the course of 2017. This group discussed issues such as the equality and diversity of the National Health Service workforce, the quality of leadership and the supply of nurses.

Psychiatric Hospitals: West Midlands

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions for in-patient care were made for mental illness in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: A count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of mental illness in Birmingham local authority of residence and West Midlands Government office region of residence for the years 2013-14 to 2017-18 is shown in the following tables. This only includes admissions where the patient was admitted and treated in a hospital. FAEs with a primary diagnosis of mental illness in Birmingham local authority of residenceYearFAEs2013-143,9652014-153,9052015-163,9802016-173,8002017-183,700Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital FAEs with a primary diagnosis of mental illness in West Midlands Government office region of residenceYearFAEs2013-1417,4902014-1517,3352015-1617,6702016-1716,2502017-1817,035Source: HES, NHS Digital

Food: Packaging

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s policy is on food companies that fail to disclose allergens on their packaging.

Steve Brine: Food businesses are required to declare allergenic ingredients on the packaging of pre-packed foods. For foods pre-packed for direct sale, there is also a legal requirement to provide allergen information but, given the nature of the business, there is an option to provide this orally on consumer request. In cases where food companies fail to disclose allergens, the Food Standards Agency may issue an allergy alert and companies will be required to withdraw or recall the affected product. The local authority should follow up with the business but failure of a business to comply with the relevant legal requirements may ultimately result in criminal prosecution.

Patients: Death

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he provides to health trusts on procedures relating to the death of people in their care with no (a) will and (b) obvious next-of-kin.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department provided guidance to the National Health Service in relation to the death of people in their care who have no will, and no obvious next of kin. The guidance is available in the document, ‘When a Patient Dies: Advice on Developing Bereavement Services in the NHS’ published in October 2005 and is available at the following link: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130124071407/http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4122193.pdf

Social Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the potential effect on the social care workforce (a) who originate from EEA countries and (b) in general of the UK leaving the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Paul Farrelly MP) on 21 February 2019 to Question 222750.

Social Services: Registration

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations made the Leonard Cheshire charity, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a national registration and accreditation system for care workers to improve the (a) recruitment and retention of care workers and (b) the quality of care provided.

Caroline Dinenage: Care workers in England are subject to employer checks and controls including a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Since 2015, we have introduced the care certificate which all healthcare assistants and care support workers are expected to achieve before working unsupervised. The care certificate covers 15 standards setting out a common set of skills, knowledge and behaviours that are needed in order to provide safe, high quality and compassionate care. The Government is committed to a proportionate system of safeguards for the professionals who work in the health and care system. We are very clear that statutory professional regulation should only be used in cases where the risks to the public cannot be mitigated in other ways. We have no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of a national registration and accreditation system for care workers in England at this time.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve  the (a) diagnosis of (b) and treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Steve Brine: Respiratory disease is a clinical priority within the recently published NHS Long Term Plan. This has the overarching objective of improving outcomes for people with respiratory disease. The NHS Long Term Plan sets out how the NHS will take action in a number of areas, including expanding programmes that support earlier diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and increasing access to treatments. From 2019, the National Health Service will build on the existing NHS RightCare programme to reduce variation in the quality of spirometry testing (one of the tests used to diagnose COPD). The NHS is also planning to roll out the lung health check programme, which targets those most at risk of cancer. Based on the pioneering schemes in Manchester and Liverpool, the lung health check will not just identify more cancers quickly, but will also pick up cases of COPD. The NHS Long Term Plan also sets out the NHS’ ambition to improve access to treatments for COPD. Over the next 10 years access to pulmonary rehabilitation will be expanded.

Social Services: Vacancies

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vacancies in the social care workforce are prioritised to prevent further costs to the NHS.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and retention of and (b) terms and conditions for carers.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is working alongside stakeholders in the adult social care sector to ensure there is the right number of people, with the right skills, knowledge and values to meet increasing demand, and deliver high quality, person-centred care and support. In recognition of this, on 12 February the Government launched a new national adult social care recruitment campaign ‘Every Day is Different’. This will raise the image and profile of the sector and encourage people with the right values to apply for current vacancies. The Government also continues to work with its delivery partner Skills for Care to provide a range of resources and practical toolkits for providers to help attract, train and retain staff. The upcoming Adult Social Care Green Paper will set out the Department’s proposals for reform of the sector to put it on a more sustainable future footing. This will include a vision for workforce and proposals to boost recruitment and retention in the longer term.

Nusinersen

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has held with NICE on the cost-flexibility effectiveness calculations for the treatment Spinraza.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and develops its technology appraisal recommendations in accordance with its published methods and processes, including consultation with stakeholders. The Department is a stakeholder in all NICE technology appraisals and has the opportunity to provide input at set points in the process, in common with other stakeholders.NHS England and NICE have been in discussions with the manufacturer of Spinraza, Biogen, to explore whether there are commercial flexibilities that might enable NICE to recommend the drug as a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. Biogen has now submitted a revised submission and a meeting of NICE’s independent appraisal committee has been arranged for 6 March 2019 to consider the recommendations.

Nusinersen

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the cost of spinal muscular atrophy treatment Spinraza is not a barrier in the appraisal process.

Steve Brine: The Government wants National Health Service patients to be able to benefit from effective new medicines in a way that represents value for money to the taxpayer. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of Spinraza for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy.Discussions have been taking place between the manufacturer of Spinraza, Biogen, and NHS England to explore whether there are commercial flexibilities that might enable NICE to recommend the drug as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. Biogen has now submitted a revised submission for NICE’s independent Appraisal and a meeting has been arranged for 6 March to consider the recommendations.

Nurses: Resignations

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nurses have left their employment with the NHS within 12 months of completing their degree in each of the last 10 years for which records are available.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care, local authorities or other providers. NHS Digital cannot identify which of the nurse leavers had left within 12 months of completing their degree, nor whether they moved to primary care of social care sectors.

Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill (HL)

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page four of the Impact Assessment for the Mental Capacity Amendment Bill, what methodology his Department used to calculate that the cost of authorisation and reviews by care settings at zero.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 23 of the Impact Assessment of the Mental Capacity Amendment Bill, what methodology his Department used to calculate that care home managers would require half a day’s training on the new Liberty Protection Safeguards.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Impact Assessment of the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill, what steps his Department will take to support GPs to carry out capacity assessments.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Impact Assessment of the Mental Capacity Amendment Bill, what methodology his Department used to calculate that 0.5 per cent of appeals cases would arrive before the Court of Protection.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 25 of the Impact Assessment for the Mental Capacity Amendment Bill, whether  mediation will be available for people who disagree with their care arrangements.

Caroline Dinenage: The net cost of authorisations and reviews is estimated to be zero because the role for care homes under the Liberty Protection Safeguards will be similar to the role they have currently under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and Care Act. Care homes will not be responsible for conducting assessments in any circumstances. Where appropriate they will prepare the statement provided to the responsible body. In some cases these statements might incorporate existing valid assessments but these assessments will not have been conducted by care home staff. 0.5 days is our best estimate of how long it will take care home managers to be familiarised with their roles in the new system, assuming they are already familiar with how the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards system operates. The current Deprivation of Liberty system training can be completed in two hours. The half day training considered to be required to familiarise care home manager with the new system is additional to the support government has committed to provide to the sector ahead of implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards. The comprehensive work undertaken by the Law Commission on reforming the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards system over a three-year period (2014 – 2017) estimated that approximately 1% of applications would result in an appeal to the Court of Protection. This is set out on page 34 of the Law Commissions Impact Assessment on Mental Capacity and Detention. The Bill introduces a new role of the Approved Mental Capacity Professional (AMCP). The AMCP will consider objections and provide an opportunity for resolution outside the Court of Protection. Given uncertainty, we have modelled a range of scenarios. Our central estimate is based on a reduction in the number of appeals to the Court of Protection to 0.5% of applications. The responsibility of the Approved Mental Capacity Professional is to ensure the independence of the objection process, when an individual disagrees with their care arrangements so that individuals can exercise their right to object in confidence, they are not responsible for formal mediation but provide an opportunity for issues to be resolved outside of court. The Department is working with stakeholders and professionals to develop a Code of Practice which will assist in the implementation and transition period of the Bill. General practitioners (GPs) and other relevant clinicians will be able to provide evidence used for the purposes of medical and capacity assessments, for example an existing diagnosis of dementia can be used for the purposes of a medical assessment. We are not expecting GPs or other professionals to undertake new functions in addition to routine practice, but rather want to use the current healthcare system and activities to support the more streamlined Liberty Protection Safeguards system through sharing of information that already exists.

Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department when drafting the Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill made an assessment of the effect of implementing that legislation on the (a) EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and (b) Trade in Services Agreement.

Stephen Hammond: The Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill is enabling legislation and is intended to support the implementation of comprehensive reciprocal healthcare arrangements with countries both within and outside the European Union. There is no intention to the use the Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill to implement trade agreements. Free trade agreements, including the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and all other agreements that we are party to as EU members, contain specific wording to safeguard public services, including the National Health Service. As we leave the EU, the United Kingdom will ensure that future agreements have the same protections.

Liothyronine

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to ensure NHS patients throughout England continue to receive liothyronine after recent price increase in the cost of that drug to the NHS.

Steve Brine: We are not aware of any recent price increase for this drug. If patients have a clinical need for a medicine, it is right that they get the most appropriate medicine for their condition. The Regional Medicines Optimising Committee published its latest guidance on the prescribing of liothyronine in November 2018 and we can confirm that NHS England is working closely with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on the prescribing of liothyronine to support them with the implementation of guidance for CCGs on items which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care. CCGs are expected to have regard to national guidance, and are responsible for developing their own local approaches to its implementation, taking into account local priorities and needs.

Vaccination: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who have been prevented from receiving a vaccination due to a parent withholding their consent each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: Public Health England does not hold data on the number of children who have been prevented from receiving a vaccination due to a parent withholding their consent. Annual vaccine coverage statistics are available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2017-18 Vaccine uptake data can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address the findings of the Public Health England report entitled Vaping in England: evidence update summary February 2019 that the number of children who have tried e-cigarettes has doubled since 2014.

Steve Brine: Public Health England’s (PHE) report ‘Vaping in England: evidence update summary February 2019’ found e-cigarette use among young people in Great Britain has increased only modestly in recent years. It found that, while experimentation with e-cigarettes among young people has increased in recent years, regular use remains low. Of the 2% of under 18s who used e-cigarettes weekly or more, the majority of those also smoked. Only 0.2% of young people who had never smoked used e-cigarettes regularly. The Government has put in place proportionate regulation of e-cigarettes to protect young people, including a minimum age of sale and tight restrictions on advertising. PHE continues to monitor the trends in vaping among young people alongside those in smoking, to ensure the Government is on track to achieve its ambition of a smoke-free generation. This can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/towards-a-smoke-free-generation-tobacco-control-plan-for-england

Asthma: Prescriptions

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 7 of the report entitled Paying to Breathe: Why unfair asthma prescription charges must be stopped, published in February 2019, what plans he has to change the Prescription Charges exemptions list as a result of the finding in that report that 57 per cent of people with asthma are skipping medication due to the cost.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 7 of the report entitled Paying to Breathe: Why unfair asthma prescription charges must be stopped, published in February 2019, what assessment he has made of the effect of prescription charges on people on low incomes who have asthma.

Steve Brine: The Department has no plans to make such an assessment. This is because extensive arrangements are in place to help people afford National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of prescription charge exemptions, for which someone with asthma may qualify. The Department has no current plans to amend these exemptions, including the list of medical conditions that provides exemption from prescription charges. People on a low income, who do not qualify for an exemption, may be eligible for full or partial help with prescription charges through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme. To support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption or the NHS Low Income Scheme, prescription prepayment certificates are available. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 18 February 2019 to Question 220226 on Genito-urinary Medicine, what the number of appointments for STIs has been in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: Data on the number of appointments for sexually transmitted infections are not collected in the format requested.

Radiology

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has received representations on therapeutic radiographers and the forthcoming workforce implementation plan; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) raised the issue of therapeutic radiographers during a debate on cancer workforce and early diagnosis on 8 January 2019, Official Report, columns 43WH-44WH. Health Education England published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017 which commits to the expansion of capacity and skills including an ambition to increase improved working practices, attracting qualified people back to the National Health Service through domestic and international recruitment. Following publication of the NHS Long Term Plan in January 2019, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, working closely with Sir David Behan, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key NHS interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider detailed proposals to grow the workforce rapidly, including therapeutic radiographers, consider additional staff and skills required, build a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff.

Department for International Development

Zimbabwe: Food

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of trends in the level of food production in Zimbabwe.

Harriett Baldwin: According to Government of Zimbabwe figures, the Zimbabwean average national cereal production for 2013-17 was 1,356,000 tonnes. In 2017 2,535,000 tonnes were produced, in an unusually good agricultural season. In 2018, this dropped to 1,937,000 tonnes. The current season has been negatively affected by economic crisis and poor rainfall. A significant shortfall in cereal requirements is forecast.

Religious Freedom

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that international NGOs consider religious vulnerability in their definition of need.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK’s commitment to the poorest and most vulnerable in all settings is unwavering, as is our requirement that all UK-funded humanitarian partners work according to international humanitarian principles, placing protection at the centre of their work. Our partners carry out vulnerability assessments to ensure aid effectively reaches those most in need, including those from religious minorities, as it is recognised that religion may be a factor in causing vulnerability.

Africa: EU Aid

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding from the public purse the UK has provided to the Trust Fund for Africa in each year since its establishment.

Harriett Baldwin: The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) was established at the Valletta Summit in November 2015. To date, the UK Government has made direct contributions to the EUTF of €0.6m (approximately £515,000) in 2016/17, a further €0.6m in 2017/18, and €1.6m (approximately £1,375,000) in 2018/19. In addition, circa 15% of the €3.7bn (£3.18bn) in funds provided to the EUTF from the EU budget and the European Development Fund is attributable to UK Official Development Assistance, an amount of approximately €555m (£477m) in total.

Department for Education

Teachers: Recruitment

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy.

Nick Gibb: The Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy was developed collaboratively with the education sector, including the eight leading sector organisations who co-signed the Foreword to the Strategy. These include Ofsted and the Teaching Unions. It has been warmly received across the education sector, and work is already beginning to deliver the commitments made in the Strategy. Events are being run across the country in March 2019 to communicate the aims of the Strategy, primarily for head teachers and other school leaders. The Department is committed to working with the sector, including Teaching Unions, throughout the implementation of the Strategy.

Schools: Asbestos

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support he is providing to schools that require additional resources to remove asbestos from their premises.

Nick Gibb: Since 2015, the Department has allocated £6 billion to those responsible for school buildings and for essential maintenance and improvements, including removing or encapsulating asbestos when it is the safest course of action to do so. In addition, through the Priority School Building Programme, the Department is rebuilding or refurbishing buildings in the worst condition in over 500 schools across the country. Asbestos was a factor in selecting buildings for the programme. Advice from the Health and Safety Executive is clear that if asbestos is unlikely to be damaged or disturbed, then it is best managed in situ. Although, the Department is also clear that when asbestos does pose a risk to safety and cannot be effectively managed in situ, then it should be removed. Schools and those responsible for school buildings receive building condition funding through different routes depending on their size and type and this should be used to address asbestos issues if materials cannot be safely managed in situ. The Department published ‘Asbestos Management in Schools’ guidance in February 2017 to help local authorities, governing bodies and academy trusts to meet their legal duties and manage asbestos effectively. The Department also launched the Asbestos Management Assurance Process in March 2018 to help develop a more comprehensive understanding of asbestos management in the school estate.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on extending supplementary funding for nursery schools after April 2020.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure nursery school funding is sustainable for the future.

Nadhim Zahawi: Maintained nursery schools (MNS) make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children. They experience costs that other providers do not and we are providing local authorities with approximately £60 million a year in supplementary funding to enable them to protect the funding of MNS.I announced on 28 February that the government would extend the supplementary funding paid to local authorities by approximately £24 million to enable them to fully fund MNS for the whole of the 2019/20 academic year. This provides local authorities with the reassurance to allocate places for this September with confidence. The announcement was made with the agreement of HM Treasury. Next steps after the 2019/20 academic year will be determined by the next Spending Review.

Teachers

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help teachers share lesson plans and professional development resources throughout their profession.

Nick Gibb: Through the Curriculum Fund, the Government is investing £7.7 million over five years to support the development and sharing of high quality complete curriculum programmes. In January, the Department awarded grants to 11 lead schools to share and pilot high quality complete curriculum programmes in over 60 other primary and secondary schools in science, history and geography. The purpose of the pilot is to better understand how curriculum programmes can be effectively implemented in other schools to reduce teacher workload and support better quality teaching. More information on the pilot can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-fund-programme-pilot.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education: Sleep

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to make sleep lessons compulsory for (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils as part of the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education  in the National Curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The Department is making relationships education compulsory in all primary schools, and relationships and sex education (RSE) compulsory in all secondary schools. Health education will also become compulsory in all primary and secondary schools. Pupils should be taught the facts about their health to enable them to make good decisions, including lessons about the importance of sleep. The draft guidance and regulations for the new subjects of relationships education, RSE and health education were laid in Parliament on Monday 25 February. All schools will be required to teach the subjects from September 2020, but they will be encouraged and supported to start teaching them from September 2019 on a voluntary basis. The draft guidance sets out that pupils should be taught the facts about sleep and about how insufficient sleep can affect both physical health and mental wellbeing, including a person’s weight, mood and ability to learn. Information and resources used should be age appropriate and medically accurate. Existing resources for teaching about sleep as part of health education are already available for schools to use. Examples of these are the PSHE Association’s recently quality assured teaching resources on sleep, as in the following link: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/curriculum-and-resources/resources/sleep-factor-lesson-plans.

Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support visually impaired students to (a) study and (b) live independently in higher education.

Chris Skidmore: Higher Education providers have legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support disabled students, including those with visual impairments, for example, by making reasonable adjustments. The responsibility to support students should include communicating what support and services are available. Alongside this, eligible students can receive support through Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), which can help with the costs of additional learning-related equipment, personal support and travel disabled students may incur. Visually impaired students eligible for DSAs receive specialist professional support, for example in making the best use of specialist equipment and in modifying learning materials into accessible formats.I recently met organisations who represent visually impaired students, and agreed that the department will work with them to ensure the support available through DSAs continues to enable visually impaired students to participate fully in higher education.

Academies: Capital Investment

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding academy sponsors have committed to provide in capital funding to academies in England; and how much of that funding has been provided in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 04 March 2019



As set out in the National Audit Office 2010 report on the academies programme, “In September 2009, the government removed altogether the requirement for sponsors to make a financial contribution to new academies that open in the 2010-11 academic year.” The government is investing £23 billion of capital funding in the school estate between 2016-17 and 2020-21 to deliver new school places, rebuild or refurbish buildings in the worst condition and deliver thousands of condition projects across the school estate. A large proportion of school capital funding is delivered through annual allocations to local authorities and larger multi-academy trusts (MATs). This includes basic need funding to local authorities to meet their duty to ensure there are enough places for children in their areas and annual allocations to local authorities and MATs to maintain the condition of estates. Alongside these allocations, the department also delivers major building programmes centrally. This includes the Priority Schools Building Programme, which is rebuilding or refurbishing more than 500 school buildings in the poorest condition across the country, and the free schools programme. Condition funding allocations are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations. Basic Need allocations are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations.

Local Authorities: Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many supported internships are available in each local authority.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authority level data on the number participating in supported internships, as at January 2018, is published in table 5 of the following data set: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2018.There is some research evidence available which indicates that supported internships may be effective in supporting young people to achieve positive outcomes. The evaluation of a department-led trial of supported internships conducted across 15 colleges in 2012/13, for example, reported that 36% of the 109 supported internship participants had obtained paid employment (including apprenticeships) by the end of the year-long trial.We are keen to do more to increase the uptake of supported internships and are considering how we can build the evidence base further. This includes looking into current models of supported internship delivery to enable us to share evidence with providers of promising practice.

Schools: Air Pollution

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the effect of high levels of air pollution near schools on school children.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not currently monitor air quality in schools or other educational institutions.The Department has recently published guidance (BB101) on achieving good indoor air quality in new and refurbished schools. Outdoor air quality is the responsibility of local authorities who should prepare air quality action plans to ensure that the level of pollutants is reduced.

Pre-school Education: Closures

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 222633 on Pre-School Education: Closures, what is involved in the network of English hubs in which there will be a £26 million investment.

Nick Gibb: The Department has so far appointed 32 primary schools across England to become English Hubs, backed by £26.3 million in funding. These schools, all with a background of excellent systematic synthetic phonics, are distributed across the country to benefit the areas that most need support. Each hub will identify specialist literacy teachers who will receive additional training as experts in teaching in early language and reading from reception year to key stage 1. Each hub is already holding events with local primary schools and over time each will work with up to 170 of them and build a network of excellent phonics teaching in every region. Through this work, the network of English Hubs will increase reading standards across the country and improve educational outcomes, including for the most disadvantaged children, particularly in underperforming schools.

Pre-school Education: Disadvantaged

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 222633 on Pre-School Education: Closures, if he will list £20 million investment in training and professional development for pre-reception early years’ staff in disadvantaged areas by (a) region and (b) local authority.

Nadhim Zahawi: Please see the attached table.



227099_Regions_and_local_authorities_selected
(PDF Document, 403.24 KB)

Secondary Education: Mansfield

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of secondary school school places that will be required in Mansfield in each year to 2025.

Nick Gibb: The Government has committed £7 billion of funding for school places between 2015 and 2021, on top of investment in the free schools programme. The school system is on track to create 1 million places this decade, the largest increase in school capacity for at least two generations.The Department collects pupil forecasts, existing school capacities, and plans to deliver additional school places from each local authority via the annual school capacity survey. Information from local authorities, together with information on centrally funded projects to add places, such as new free schools, is used to produce estimates of the future need for school places.The latest available estimates show that the 20 secondary planning areas within Nottinghamshire may require an additional 997 secondary school places by 2023/24 in order to meet forecast demand, of which Mansfield Secondary planning area may require 82 additional secondary school places.The latest published data held relates to the position in the 2016/17 academic year and includes secondary forecasts to 2023/24. Data for the 2017/2018 academic year are due to be published on 28 March 2019.Basic need allocations are based upon data supplied by local authorities themselves so there should be no shortfall between the number of places local authorities report they need to create, and the number the Department is funding.Table 1: Forecast secondary places needed in Nottinghamshire by planning area (modelled estimates)[1], [2]Secondary Planning Area2017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24Nottinghamshire Total375418628676891897997Arnold Secondary16347611195141139Broxtowe North Secondary30340300Broxtowe South Secondary0000000Carlton Secondary57111114115167187220East Leake Secondary028272726260Gedling Secondary33508868111129131Harworth/Bircotes Secondary0000000Hucknall Secondary00000010Kirkby/Sutton Secondary0000000Mansfield Secondary0005743582Newark Secondary0000000Rainworth Secondary536889103141150175Retford Secondary0000000Rushcliffe East Secondary3154787924514Rushcliffe Secondary2253738610810091Selston Secondary0000000Southwell Secondary171222000Warsop Secondary0000000West Bridgford Secondary169477771612217Worksop Secondary00001363119Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number; therefore do not add up to the sum total.  [1] The data provide a snapshot in time at 1 May 2017. Currently, most forecasts continue to increase into the future whereas plans to create places is generally reported more strongly in the immediate future, since only places for which there are firm plans are included. The places needed will therefore naturally grow with time.[2] Further information can be found in the place planning tables at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-capacity-academic-year-2016-to-2017.

Education and Skills Funding Agency: Registration

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when organisations will be able to register on the Education and Skills Funding Agency register of training organisations.

Anne Milton: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has no current plans to open the register of training organisations, but if this situation changes, the ESFA will publicise this on GOV.UK. It will notify organisations of future procurement opportunities through its e-tendering portal, which can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.uk/guidance/skills-funding-register-for-opportunities-to-tender.The ESFA has recently opened its Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers to meet the needs of the dynamic, employer led, apprenticeship market. The register of training organisations has not been opened in the same way, as there is no current opportunity for new providers to access funding.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the (a) availability and (b) quality of offender learning and skills in prisons.

Rory Stewart: We set out our intentions in the prisoner Education and Employment Strategy, published last year. In April 2019, the new prison education contracts commence. The services these contracts deliver have been chosen by prison governors to ensure that the learning available to prisoners is both relevant for their own development needs and linked to labour market information, supporting employment outcomes. The new contracts, and increased local and national management of the education providers, will provide better and more immediate information on the quality of the service being delivered and provide better levers for governors to manage underperformance.In addition to these main contracts, our prison education Dynamic Purchasing System allows prison governors to commission specific, short-term education provision to meet niche and other learning needs their prisoners have, or to commission training to address employers’ bespoke training requirements. This will allow prisoners to take advantage of labour market opportunities on release.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to treat theft from a work vehicle in the same legal terms as theft from a commercial property.

Lucy Frazer: Under section 7 of the Theft Act 1968 there is no distinction between theft from a work vehicle and theft from a commercial building. The theft offence would apply regardless of where the theft takes place. Theft from a commercial building could potentially also amount to burglary if a person enters the building as a trespasser. However, theft from a work vehicle could only amount to burglary if the vehicle was inhabited. The requirement for entrance into a building (including an inhabited vehicle) is a fundamental part of the law on burglary that the Government has no intention to change.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) the number of thefts from work vehicles and (b) work vehicle owners' (i) livelihoods and (ii) wellbeing of treating theft from a work vehicle as theft from a commercial property.

Lucy Frazer: Under section 7 of the Theft Act 1968 there is no distinction between theft from a work vehicle and theft from a commercial building. The theft offence would apply regardless of where the theft takes place. Theft from a commercial building could potentially also amount to burglary if a person enters the building as a trespasser. However, theft from a work vehicle could only amount to burglary if the vehicle was inhabited. The requirement for entrance into a building (including an inhabited vehicle) is a fundamental part of the law on burglary that the Government has no intention to change. However, the impact of theft on a business can be taken into consideration in the court’s assessment of harm during sentencing.

Intestacy

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance he provides to coroners on procedures relating to the death of a person with no (a) will and (b) obvious next-of-kin.

Edward Argar: The provision of guidance to coroners is a matter for the Chief Coroner rather than the Secretary of State. He has not, however, issued guidance to coroners on these issues as it is not within the role of coroners to consider them.

Charities

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) charitable organisations will be paid for resettlement support services they have provided under contract to Working Links (b) those services are able to continue.

Rory Stewart: As you know, Working Links went into administration on 14 February. Probation services in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall; Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire; and Wales, transferred to Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC), owned by Seetec, on 15 February. The probation supply chain in these areas will now be the responsibility of Kent, Surrey and Sussex CRC and Seetec. We recognise the importance of Voluntary and Community Sector organisations and are in continued dialogue, engaging directly with them. Service improvements and stability in probation services are our priorities and we are working closely with all affected organisations, alongside Seetec, to monitor the transition and mobilisation of services against contractual obligations.

Immigration: Appeals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many immigration appeals were (a) submitted and (b) determined in each of the last five years in relation to Home Office refusal, curtailment and removal decisions in ETS-linked cases.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid Scheme: Companies

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many criminal legal aid firms were in operation in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Based on the most recent data available, the table below shows how many firms (and where a firm has multiple branches, the total number of offices) were active in any given year providing legal aid services in criminal matters. Numbers of both firms and offices have fluctuated due to a number of factors, including mergers and acquisitions, trends in the rates of criminal offending, and the impact of other policies and market conditions. Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19Firms1,8611,7221,6561,6031,5171,5121,3881,3141,271Offices2,5982,4152,3382,2822,1722,2401,9911,9981,921

Detention Centres: Smoking

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the HMPPS no-smoking policy will be extended to cover Immigration Removal Centres.

Rory Stewart: Since 2007 we have been acting to reduce the exposure of staff and prisoners to the harmful effects of second hand smoke in all prisons controlled by the Ministry of Justice. Immigration Removal Centres (IRC) – including the one (Morton Hall) operated by HMPPS - are managed under Home Office rules and therefore the [HMPPS] Smoke Free Policy Framework does not apply. However, the Home Office had agreed that Morton Hall would adopt the same smoke free process as Ministry of Justice operated open prisons, whereby detainees are able to smoke in the open air in designated smoking areas and are not allowed to smoke inside any building.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts his Department has closed since 1 January 2009; on what dates those court buildings were sold; and what the value of each of those sales was.

Lucy Frazer: The sale of surplus buildings provides important funding for the programme of reform which is transforming our courts and tribunals. We make sure that the sale of former court buildings maximises the amount we can reinvest in modernisation. The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 217627, on Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia, on what dates his Department has reviewed the three extant Open Individual Export Licences for the export of missiles to Saudi Arabia since those licences were granted.

Graham Stuart: Extant licences are reviewed in circumstances where the assessment of the licensing position under the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria changes. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the licensing position is kept under careful and continual review. Our export licensing system allows us to respond quickly to changing facts on the ground and we have powers to revoke or suspend licences if our assessment of the licensing position changes.

Import Duties

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when he plans to publish the UK's (a) tariff schedules and (b) tariff-rate quotas as part of Government preparations for leaving the EU without a deal.

George Hollingbery: Our tariff schedule for a no deal scenario is being finalised. Ministers have examined a range of options for our future tariff regime and carefully considered the evidence available in the interests of UK businesses and consumers. Once a final decision has been taken we will communicate to stakeholders in an appropriate way for a market sensitive announcement.

Trade Promotion: Internet

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the setup and maintenance of the great.gov.uk website (a) in the 12 months and (b) since its launch.

Graham Stuart: Extant licences are reviewed in circumstances where the assessment of the licensing position under the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria changes. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the licensing position is kept under careful and continual review. Our export licensing system allows us to respond quickly to changing facts on the ground and we have powers to revoke or suspend licences if our assessment of the licensing position changes.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Rented Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much debt has been guaranteed under the Government's housing guarantees programmes since 2010 for (a) private rented and (b) social housing.

James Brokenshire: The Government launched its Affordable Housing Guarantee Programme (AHGS) in 2013, followed by a Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme (PRSGS) a year later. Each made available up to £3.5 billion of government guarantees.The AHGS closed for applications in March 2016 and the final loan was drawn in March 2018. It has provided a total of £3.2 billion of government guarantees to support the delivery of additional affordable homes.The PRSGS, which closed for applications at the end of 2018, has to date guaranteed £698 million of debt to support the delivery of large-scale, professionally managed accommodation for private rent. The scheme has a pipeline of further applications considerably in excess of the remaining £2.8 billion. These applications will continue to be processed and funded as the projects reach completion, until such time as the £3.5 billion is fully utilised.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of dwellings in towers with the same cladding material as Grenfell Tower in England.

Kit Malthouse: MHCLG estimates that there are approximately 9,100 dwellings in the remaining 119 high-rise (over 18 metres) social residential buildings in England with Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations.We estimate approximately 17,400 dwellings in the remaining 167 high-rise (over 18 metres) private residential buildings in England with combinations of Aluminium Composite Material cladding and insulation unlikely to meet Building Regulations.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224346 on Buildings: Insulation, whether he has made a recent assessment of the dangers of toxic smoke from commonly used insulation materials in the event of a fire.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224346 on Buildings: Insulation, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings on the toxicity of common insulation materials in the December 2018 study entitled Fire behaviour of modern façade materials–Understanding the Grenfell Tower fire.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224346 on Buildings: Insulation, whether he has made a recent assessment of (a) the combustibility of a range of common insulation materials and (b) the safety of those materials for use on buildings.

Kit Malthouse: On 29 November 2018 the Government introduced a ban of combustible materials in the external wall of buildings including blocks of flat, student accommodation and care homes more than 18 metres in height. The ban requires that all materials which become part of an external wall or specified attachment achieve European Class A2-s1, d0 or Class A1, other than those covered by exemptions. This means that materials are classified by smoke production as well as combustibility and production of droplets. These classifications impose the maximum possible restriction on smoke production.In addition, the Government published, on 18 December, a call for evidence to form the basis for a technical review of Approved Document B (Fire Safety). Paragraphs 38 to 41 address the issue of smoke and toxicity. The call for evidence closed on 1 March 2019, the Department is in the process of reviewing the evidence provided.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224346 on Buildings: Insulation, what criteria the expert panel will use to decide whether further large-scale testing is needed on cladding materials; and if his Department will publish those assessments.

Kit Malthouse: At this stage the study is aimed at developing a better understanding of the behaviour of a range of cladding products when exposed to fire and their possible contribution to fire spread.The performance criteria and how they will be measured are highlighted in table 2 of the methodology. All of the parameters highlighted in this table will be used to decide whether further large-scale test is needed. A copy of the methodology is available in the House library.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224346 on Buildings: Insulation, whether his Department still plans to conduct a BS 8414 test with a system incorporating High-Pressure Laminate cladding.

Kit Malthouse: Yes, my answer of 4 February 2014 to the Hon Member's question UIN 214560 remains unchanged.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Young People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of recruits that joined the armed forces before the age of 18 and subsequently left the armed forces before their 18th birthday in each year since 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The requested information is provided in the table below:  Proportions of under-18s who joined the UK Regular Armed Forces and left their Service before their 18th birthday, by Financial Year (FY) and Service FY2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17Naval Service28.4%29.9%15.9%27.3%22.3%22.7%23.5%21.4%Army30.9%25.8%25.2%18.9%20.8%20.3%19.9%20.0%Royal Air Force17.1%9.1%18.5%~~8.3%4.2%7.9%Tri Service29.2%25.7%24.7%18.9%20.1%20.0%19.2%19.1%Notes:1. FYs relate to the year in which personnel joined the UK Regular Armed Forces.2. Outflow relates to those who have subsequently left the UK Regular Armed Forces having joined in each FY and includes those who left in the same FY or a later FY.3. Outflow has been measured to 30 September 2018. There may still be some outflow of personnel who joined before 31 March 2017 and have not yet reached age 18.4. The proportion of under-18s who joined in FY 2017-18 and subsequently left before the age of 18 is not yet known.5. Tildes ‘~’ refer to percentages which are suppressed on the basis that the underpinning numbers are below five.

Trafalgar Class Submarines

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the planned date for the Trafalgar-Class SSN to leave service.

Stuart Andrew: The planned out-of-service and in-service dates for Royal Navy submarines are withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Cawdor Barracks

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what feasibility studies been completed in the last 12 months on the future of Cawdor Barracks part of the Better Defence Estates programme.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I can confirm that the feasibility study for Cawdor Barracks is ongoing and has not yet been concluded.

Patrol Craft: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the ability of the new off-shore patrol vessels ships to have a UAV capability; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: The Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) are versatile ships that will be able to deliver across a broad range of defence tasks, in our home waters and overseas, exploiting flexible manning solutions and innovative technologies. This could also include an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle capability that is already being exploited within the Batch 1 OPV.

Armed Forces: Age

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on members of the armed forces personnel that have reached retirement age but want to extend their service and are fit and capable enough to do so; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Services' engagement structures are designed to balance the demands of military service (including the physical element), with the retention of skills and need to offer the potential for progression throughout a career.In all cases the Services have the ability to retain those whose skills they particularly wish to retain, including extension on a case-by-case basis beyond the age at which the individual would normally retire.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse is of the administration of the advance payment system.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Cold Weather Payments

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on the public purse of taking into account wind-chill in determining eligibility for cold weather payments.

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department’s policy is on taking into account the windchill factor when determining eligibility for cold weather payments.

Justin Tomlinson: Wind chill is the perception of external temperature rather than a measured air temperature. Cold Weather Payments are designed to contribute to the additional costs of heating homes in unseasonably cold weather. As wind chill relates to skin rather than buildings, no assessment has been made of the effect of taking wind chill into account for Cold Weather Payments.

Chlorine: Storage

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on the safe storage of chlorine gas after the UK leaves the EU.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contingency plans she has put in place to ensure the safe storage of chlorine gas after the UK leaves the EU.

Sarah Newton: The Government has made clear that health and safety requirements are not affected by the UK’s exit from the EU. The same requirements and duties will apply on the day of exit as applied the day before. Storage of chlorine gas under 10 tonnes is controlled by health and safety regulations. However, if the quantity is over 10 tonnes, storage is controlled by the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015. These regulations will continue to apply following the UK’s exit from the EU. The COMAH Regulations put specific duties on businesses to ensure that highly dangerous substances such as chlorine are handled, stored and managed safely to reduce the risk of major accidents impacting people or the environment. The Health and Safety Executive has been providing specific advice to individual stakeholders on the storage of hazardous substances.

Universal Credit

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the universal credit application process is fully accessible for people that do not have access to (a) the internet and (b) assistive technology necessary to complete an online form.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 206260 on 11 January 2019.

Pension Credit: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension credit claimants there are in (a) Scotland and (b) each constituency in Scotland.

Guy Opperman: The total number of Pension Credit Claimants in Scotland from most recent published data (as of August 2018) is 157,573. The number of Pension Credit claimants in Scotland and each constituency in Scotland is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Pensioners: Poverty

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on the level of pensioner poverty of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 (Commencement No. 31 and Savings and Transitional Provisions and Commencement No. 21 and 23 and Transitional and Transitory Provisions (Amendment)) Order 2019.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty. The absolute poverty rate for pensioners has fallen to record lows. The number of pensioners in absolute poverty before housing costs has fallen by 200,000 since 2010. In the early 1970s roughly 40% of pensioners were in poverty. Relative poverty after housing costs is now down to 16% - one of the lowest rates since comparable records began. This change in the way support is provided to couples where one partner is below State Pension age will ensure that the same incentives to work and save for retirement apply to the younger partner as apply to other people of the same age. Unlike Pension Credit, which in most cases allows couple to retain only £10 a week of earned income, Universal Credit provides clear incentives for people to find and progress in work. The change to the Pension Credit rules was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012. As part of the Parliamentary process, an Equality Impact Assessment was published in November 2011, which included an assessment of the impacts of Universal Credit reforms on older couples, including mixed age couples. This can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-equality-impact-assessment The change does not affect either partner’s entitlement to a State Pension. And it will not affect mixed age couples who are receiving Pension Credit and/or pensioner Housing Benefit immediately before the implementation date, unless their entitlement to both those benefits ends and they subsequently need to re-enter the system of support through means-tested benefits before the younger partner reaches State Pension age.

Pension Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of women affected by the change in the state pension age will be affected by the proposed reforms to pension credit.

Guy Opperman: No mixed age couples who are receiving Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before the implementation date will see a reduction in the amount of benefit they receive as a result of the policy change (unless their entitlement to both those benefits subsequently ends).Under provisions enacted in the Welfare Reform Act 2012, in future, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit for pensioners will not be available to couples before both partners have reached State Pension age. These changes will take effect from 15 May 2019.Information on the characteristics of the estimated number of future mixed age couples who may be affected by the forthcoming changes to be introduced on 15 May 2019 is not available.

Social Security Benefits

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants in (a) each parliamentary constituency, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland were subject to the benefits freeze.

Justin Tomlinson: Information is available for the number of claimants of individual benefits, at different points in time, affected by the benefits freeze. The available information for claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance is published on the NOMIS website and can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp The available information for claimants for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit is published and available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.htmlInformation for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics  There has been no assessment of the total number of claimants subject to the benefits freeze. Claimants can receive multiple benefits so caseload numbers cannot be added together to estimate the total number subject to the benefits freeze.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been referred to her Department's in-work progression pilot scheme; and how many of those people have received an increase in their earnings as a result of participation in that pilot scheme.

Alok Sharma: 30,709 claimants participated in the In-Work Progression Randomised Control Trial. At week 52, 16,496 (54%) saw an increase in earnings*. On average, Frequent and Moderate Support participants earned £5.25 and £4.43 per week more, respectively, than the Minimal Support Group at 52 weeks. More detail is available in the full report, published on 12 September 2018, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-in-work-progression-randomised-controlled-trial * This information is not in the report, where we reported the proportion of people whose earnings changed by 10% or more and changes in average earnings. All earnings information was obtained from source data collected by HMRC and held by DWP.

State Retirement Pensions

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she plans to undertake to review the maximum limit of the value of the over 80 state pension.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to action that helps to alleviate levels of pensioner poverty. In 2018/19 we will spend £121.5 billion on benefits for pensioners, including £97 billion on the State Pension for this year. Between 2010 and 2018, we will have increased the basic State Pension by £1,450 a year. The non-contributory Category D State Pension is available to those aged over 80 with either no entitlement to a basic State Pension or who are entitled to basic State Pension of less than £75.50 per week. Individuals must also meet the residency conditions. Category D State Pension is currently uprated in line with the Triple Lock. We are committed to the Triple Lock for the remainder of this Parliament guaranteeing that up to the full amounts of the basic and new State Pensions will rise by the highest of average earnings growth, price inflation, or 2.5% and in 2018/19 the increase was 3%. Between April 2010 and April 2018 the basic State Pension has risen by £660 a year more than if it had been just up-rated by earnings since April 2010. That is a rise of £1,450 a year in cash terms. Additionally, the 25p age addition is paid with State Pension when individuals reach age 80. Although there are no plans to uprate the age addition amount, this should to be considered alongside the range of other measures and benefits that are available to pensioners, over age 80. This includes Pension Credit and the free television licence scheme. Moreover, people who are aged 80 and over receive a Winter Fuel Payment of £300, instead of the standard Winter Fuel Payment of £200 for pensioners below that age.

Access to Work Programme: Wales

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the number of successful applications to Access to Work was in each local authority area in Wales in each year since 2015.

Sarah Newton: The table below shows the number of people who had any Access to Work provision approved in Wales in each financial year from 2014/15 to 2017/18, the most recent complete financial year for which data is available. Table 1: The number of people who had any Access to Work provision1 approved in Wales, by local authority, 2014/15 - 2017/18  2014/152015/162016/172017/18Blaenau Gwent30202020Bridgend70606070Caerphilly70708090Cardiff140150160200Carmarthenshire60708080Ceredigion20201020Conwy50605050Denbighshire30202040Flintshire60607080Gwynedd50303050Isle of Anglesey20302030Merthyr Tydfil30202030Monmouthshire30204030Neath Port Talbot70608090Newport50508080Pembrokeshire20202040Powys40403050Rhondda Cynon Taf90100110120Swansea110160170200Torfaen30304050Vale of Glamorgan50606060Wrexham60405050 Total1,2001,1801,2801,530Notes:1. There are two main types of Access to Work provision: Assessments and Elements. More than one item of Access to Work provision of the same type or of different types can be approved for the same person in a given financial year or in different financial years. The table above shows the number of people who had one or more item of provision of any type approved in each financial year. Data source: These statistics were obtained from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Service Client (DiSC) administrative system. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures that are less than 10 after rounding are suppressed and replaced with "-". Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Employment and Support Allowance: Kilmarnock and Loudoun

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituents have been identified as having been underpaid when migrated from incapacity benefits to employment and support allowance.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituents identified as having been underpaid when migrated from incapacity benefits to employment and support allowance have died before receiving backdated payments.

Sarah Newton: Numbers of individuals identified as having been underpaid are not immediately available at regional or parliamentary constituency level. To provide this information would incur disproportionate cost. Management information is monitored at a national level. We are focusing our efforts on contacting all potentially affected individuals to ensure they are paid as quickly as possible. A Written Statement and Frequently Asked Question document was deposited in the House Library on Thursday 21 February which can be found at http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2019-0252/ESA_Underpayment_FAQ.pdf The latest ad hoc statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking

Lone Parents: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to increase financial support for single-parent families.

Justin Tomlinson: Under Universal Credit, working families can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month. This can be claimed up to a month before starting a job. In the Autumn Budget 2017, the Department introduced a range of measures to support claimants and ensure no one has to experience hardship within the initial assessment period. These include making advances more generous, removing the 7 waiting days, providing an additional transitional payment of 2 weeks of Housing Benefit and changing how claimants in temporary accommodation receive support for their housing costs We recently announced that parents may be eligible to receive a Flexible Support Fund Award or a budgeting advance to enable them to take up a job offer or increase their working hours. We are also piloting a more flexible approach to claimants reporting childcare costs, which will allow people to be reimbursed for childcare even if they aren’t able to provide immediate evidence. Once the pilots have concluded, we will consider whether to roll out this approach further. Additionally, there will be a £1000 increase in work allowances from April 2019, which will provide a £630 boost for households with children, and for people with disabilities.

Work Capability Assessment: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for a claimant to be referred to a work capability assessment by the Romford service centre.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Written Statement of 21 February 2019 on Employment and Support Allowance, Official Report HCWS 1348, which work streams the 1,200 staff working on underpayment cases have been taken from; and how many of those staff have been (a) moved from other areas of her Department and (ii) newly recruited.

Sarah Newton: Over the course of 2018/19, across the Department we increased our resources by 4,209 FTE to manage all demands including LEAP exercises. This included the recruitment of an additional 400 staff, on a fixed term appointment basis, directly to support the ESA underpayment exercise. The remainder of the 1,200 staff were deployed onto the exercise as a result of reducing demand on ESA and JSA benefits. This approach has meant that we have not had to stop or deprioritise other customer activity in order to complete this review.

Employment and Support Allowance

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people who went into (a) rent arrears and (b) council tax arrears following the underpayment of their employment and support allowance; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The information is not available. DWP are engaging with a number of authorities, including those responsible for Council Tax, to raise awareness of the ESA underpayment exercise and the potential issues arising from it. This will help them to assess possible impacts on these areas. As part of the ESA underpayment exercise we will inform local authorities Housing Benefit departments of new awards of income-related ESA as part of our business as usual procedures. As Housing Benefit is available to contributory only ESA claimants, those on low incomes could still receive full Housing Benefit if assessed by their Local Authority as entitled.

Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in universal credit centres; and what proportion of fixed-term staff working in universal credit centres are on (a) permanent contracts and (b) zero-hour contracts.

Alok Sharma: The Department regularly reviews both the numbers of people working in Universal Credit service centres and their performance to ensure we have the right number of people available to manage claimants Universal Credit claims. Services and staff training is assessed, both in real time to meet any short term peaks in demand and also reviewed for longer term improvements to ensure the service continues to meet customer service expectation. Our priority is to give all employees, including those delivering Universal Credit, the necessary resources, including manageable workloads, so that they can carry out their roles successfully. The size of a Case Manager’s caseload is dependent on a number of factors, including the complexity of the caseload and experience of the case manager. All staff on fixed-term contracts are employed on the basis of agreed full or part time hours. No staff are employed on zero-hour contracts.

Employment: Bullying

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support the Centenary Global Action and global efforts for a strong International Labour Organisation Convention to end workplace harassment.

Alok Sharma: The Government believes that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and that there can be no place for violence and harassment in the workplace. The Government therefore supports the adoption of an International Labour Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work. The Government is fully engaged in discussions in the International Labour Organisation and is advocating a Convention that provides broad coverage, whilst being ratifiable by as large a number of the ILO’s membership as possible.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Smuggling

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidences of dog smuggling there have been in each of the last 10 years; and from which countries those dogs were smuggled.

David Rutley: The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA’s) data retention period for import data is 3 years. APHA does not hold data relating specifically to ‘smuggled’ animals, however, it does hold data on animals that are ‘illegally landed’. This includes any dog, cat or ferret that is landed in Great Britain which does not meet the import requirements, and therefore requires quarantine, under the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 (as amended) (RIO). While these figures may include some smuggled animals, they also include: pet animals that arrive at UK airports and during the pets check are found to be non-compliantanimals that are found ‘inland’ and after a trading standards investigation are found to be non-compliant The attached table shows the number of dogs (including puppies) quarantined, by country of origin, after being illegally landed in Great Britain for the last 3 years. 



Numbers of illegally landed dogs
(Word Document, 17.08 KB)

Food: Sales

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to purchase locally-sourced food.

David Rutley: The Government is keen to see an increase in the amount of locally grown seasonal produce consumed in the UK. The Plan for Public Procurement, published under the 2010-2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government, includes a balanced scorecard to help define the criteria of bids for food and catering contracts.The scorecard rewards tenders which commit to serve locally sourced food and those that highlight the benefits of seasonal increases in the availability of certain types of produce. Use of the balanced scorecard is mandatory for central Government departments and executive agencies, and Defra is working to increase its uptake in the wider public sector.

Food: Storage

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to maintain funding for Private Storage Aid schemes after the UK has left the EU.

David Rutley: European regulations concerning private storage aid are being retained under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, should the Secretary of State choose to operate a scheme in England after we leave. This is a devolved matter and similar powers to operate private storage aid will exist for Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh Ministers. The Agriculture Bill contains powers which would allow the Secretary of State to amend the retained EU legislation on private storage aid, with the aim of eventually phasing the schemes out in England. It also gives the Secretary of State the ability to amend the schemes’ general operation, so they can be run in a way appropriate for the domestic market while the Government consults on phasing the scheme out. While for the most part there is a weak economic case for market intervention, there may be very specific circumstances in which granting private storage aid will make overall economic sense. For this reason, powers to use private storage in response to exceptional market conditions are being retained in the Bill. The Agriculture Bill extends similar powers to Welsh Ministers and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. The Scottish Government is able to rely on the retained EU legislation regarding public intervention and private storage aid. We are working with all the devolved administrations on common UK frameworks where coordination would be necessary or desirable and, with the agreement of the devolved administrations, we expect market intervention schemes of this nature to be part of such a framework.

Horses: North West

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds information on the (a) number and (b) location of roadside sites where horses are tethered throughout (i) North West England and (ii) Lancashire; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to tethering. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) it is an offence to fail to provide for an animal’s welfare or to cause it any unnecessary suffering. Local authorities and the police have powers under the 2006 Act to seize any animal that is suffering unnecessarily and investigate allegations of cruelty or poor welfare. The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids (the Code). The Code provides owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their animals and includes a specific section on how to tether horses and other animals covered. If anyone is concerned about the way a horse or other animal has been tethered they should report the matter either to the relevant local authority or to the RSPCA or World Horse Welfare who can investigate. Whilst the Government does not hold records on the number or sites of tethered animals, we have provided local authorities and the police with powers to deal with instances of poorly tethered horses.

Animal Welfare

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to increase animal welfare standards after the UK leaves the EU.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to maintain animal rights through legislation after the UK leaves the EU.

David Rutley: The Government has been very clear that leaving the EU will not lead to a lowering of our high animal welfare standards, and is making good on our commitment to make the UK a world leader in the care and protection of animals as we leave the EU.Our regulatory system will offer at least the same level of assurance of animal welfare following our departure from the EU as it does now. The EU Withdrawal Act will ensure that existing EU standards are maintained once we leave the EU. For instance, existing bans on imports of chlorinated chicken and hormone beef have been transferred into UK law and will remain in place after we leave.We are actively exploring options for strengthening the UK system moving forward. These include plans to increase maximum penalties for animal cruelty from six months’ to five years’ imprisonment. We are also considering what more can be done to improve animal welfare standards in the context of our future agricultural policy and are looking to control exports of live animals for slaughter.

Animal Products: Transport

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the effect of leaving the EU without a deal on the cost of transporting animal products from the EU to the United Kingdom.

David Rutley: The Government is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, and continues to work with industry to help manage the economic impacts on the livestock sector and other stakeholders in planning for a possible no deal scenario. Whilst it is very likely that third country rules will be applied to EU imports of products of animal origin, contingency options are being developed, and we will not be introducing any new border checks in the immediate aftermath of a no deal scenario. As a result, animal products can come into the UK at any port of entry as they do now to minimise disruption to trade. Only animal products from EU countries with disease outbreak safeguard measures will need to be notified to the UK before arrival.

Air Pollution: Scunthorpe

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect outdoor workers from ambient air pollution in Scunthorpe; which locations have been found to have fine-particle air pollution levels that exceed the WHO limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Local authorities are required to work towards reducing emissions of PM2.5. North East Lincolnshire Council reported in its 2018 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) that their PM2.5 monitors did not record a breach of the statutory limit value, which is 25 micrograms per metre cubed.The council also stated that it is running campaigns to discourage waste burning and bonfires, and implementing environmental permit improvement programmes to address PM2.5. In 2018 Defra awarded North East Lincolnshire Council grant funding to help reduce emissions of PM2.5 resulting from the use of domestic wood burning stoves.With specific regard to Scunthorpe, a recent report published on the Government’s UK Air website detailed the extensive measures undertaken to reduce the impacts from the steelworks in the area (particularly aimed at reducing concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene and the impact of PM2.5). The report can be found here: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/bap-nickel-measures/bap_yorkshireandhumberside_UK0034_reportonmeasures_2016.pdf

Animal Welfare: Standards

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the standards of (a) care and (b) protection of animals after the UK leaves the EU.

David Rutley: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 28 February 2019, PQ 224482.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens and Pellets.

David Rutley: Farmers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with the statutory farm welfare codes, which provide guidance for keepers on how to comply with animal welfare legislation and help us maintain our high animal welfare standards. The codes are also used by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to check how well animal welfare standards are being met. We have an ongoing dialogue with APHA on all animal welfare matters, including those relating to enforcement, and the latest updated code of practice for the welfare of laying hens and pullets provides keepers with up to date information on the latest practices and helps ensure high standards of compliance.

Home Office

Drugs: Crime

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support his Department provides to children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility who (a) are or (b) have been involved in county lines activity.

Victoria Atkins: We do not provide specific support services to children under 10 involved in county lines activity. However the Government provides a range of support for county lines victims including: funding Young People’s Advocates in Birmingham, Manchester and London; funding through the Trusted Relationships fund of £13 million over two years to help foster relationships between frontline professionals and young people at risk of exploitation including county lines; publication of guidance for frontline professionals on how to identify potential victims of county lines and the appropriate referral routes; £17.7 million over two years through the Early Intervention Youth Fund to help deliver services to support and prevent young people from getting involved in crime, including county lines. The funds are not restricted by the age of criminal responsibility.Criminally exploited children who have also been trafficked are identified and supported through the National Referral Mechanism, which can include support from Independent Child Trafficking Advocates which we have committed to rolling out nationally.The Department for Education has also just announced £2 million for a new national response unit that will be established to help local authorities support vulnerable children at risk of exploitation.

Undocumented Migrants: Deportation

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has taken any action against caseworkers who failed to meet targets for the removal of illegal immigrants; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: There are no targets set for the removal of illegal immigrants.

Home Office: Written Questions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects to be able to provide an answer to Questions (a) 188127, (b) 188204, (c) 186385, (d) 186388, (e) 185648 and (f) 180819, tabled by the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley.

Mr Nick Hurd: The responses for UIN 188385, 186388 and 185648 were given on the 21st December 2018.The responses for UIN 188127 and 180819 were given on the 25th January 2019.The response for UIN 188204 was given on the 5th February 2019.

Home Office: Disclosure of Information

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has entered into in each year since 2005.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is not able to provide a response as this information is generally not held centrally. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Community Security Trust: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons his Department allocates the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant on an annual rather than multi-annual basis.

Mr Ben Wallace: Cabinet Office grant governance standards require grants to be reviewed at least annually, taking into account delivery across the period. This then results in a decision to continue, discontinue, amend funding levels or the scope of the Grant. A multi-year grant process would inhibit the outcomes of these reviews and commercial assurance processes from being implemented.It is important that the Home Office ensures that the Recipient has managed the Grant in line with Government standards and that the Grant continues to represent value for money for the tax payer.

Pornography: Internet

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning online hardcore pornography.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office has no specific remit in respect of consumption of pornography and therefore has not made any such assessment.The Government Equalities Office are commissioning qualitative research to look into any relationship between pornography and attitudes to women and girls due to be finalised in Summer 2019.

Radicalism: Islam

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has made of of the effect of foreign Islamic organisations that promote a Salfist Wahhabist ideology and violent extremism in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The Government take the threat of extremism, non-violent extremism as well as violent extremism, very seriously. We continuously build our understanding of the threat so we can respond to it appropriately. As has been the policy of successive governments, the Government does not comment on matters relating to security.

Airbnb

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to prevent properties rented out via AirBnB being used as brothels.

Victoria Atkins: The focus of Government activity with regards to prostitution and sex work is to tackle the harm and exploitation that can be associated with it, and we believe that people who want to leave prostitution should be given every opportunity to find routes out.The Government has commissioned a research project into the prevalence and nature of prostitution in England and Wales; to inform the evidence base before any changes are made to policy and legislation in respect of prostitution. This independent research is being led by the University of Bristol and we anticipate receiving their report in the Spring this year.It is illegal to keep a brothel in England and Wales, or to allow premises to be used as one, and the law does not distinguish between types of brothel.Enforcement action is an operational matter for the police, who are in the best position to identify and respond to issues related to prostitution and sex work in their communities. They are supported in this by guidance developed by the National Policing Lead for prostitution, which emphasises the priority given to protecting vulnerable people from harm.

Firearms: Licensing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women in the UK hold a firearms licence.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office publishes the number of female firearm certificate holders as part of the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2017/18’ publication.The data can be found in Table E2 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/firearm-and-shotgun-certificates-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-31-march-2018These statistics are experimental statistics and should be treated with caution as they are still being developed and have not been subjected to the same levels of quality assurance as the other figures in the publication.Data as at 31 March 2019, will be reported in the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2018/19’ publication. This has been pre-announced on gov.uk to be released in June/July 2019.

Energy: Meters

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many house fires have been caused by smart meters.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many house fires have there been in which the suspected cause was a smart meter.

Mr Nick Hurd: Fires related to smart meters are captured under the category ‘Other’ and cannot be identified separately in the Home Office data collection.National Statistics on the causes and locations of fires are published annually in, ‘Detailed analysis of fires attended by FRSs, England’. The most recent publication for 2017/18 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/detailed-analysis-of-fires-attended-by-fire-and-rescue-services-england-april-2017-to-march-2018Accompanying data tables can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables.

Passports: Applications

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time is for HM Passport Office to process passport applications.

Caroline Nokes: The table below show the median average processing time in working days for passport applications:YearUKInternational20184.04.7 For paper applications, the processing time starts on receipt of the application form. Online applications commence on receipt of the signed declaration or supporting documents, depending upon the service used.Passport processing ends at the point that a passport is printed, and does not include the time taken for delivery.

Diplomatic Relations: Bangladesh

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he last held discussions with the Bangladesh High Commissioner to the Court of St. James.

Caroline Nokes: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not yet engaged directly with the Bangladesh High Commissioner, Ms. Saida Muna Tasneem, since she took post at the end of November 2018.

Terrorism: British Nationals Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help prevent British citizens who leave the UK to join proscribed foreign terrorist organisations from re-entering the UK.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government is committed to protecting the UK from the threat of terrorism. Section 40(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Secretary of State with powers to deprive a person of citizenship status, should they deem it conducive to the public good to do so, provided such action does not leave the individual stateless. Removal of citizenship serves to remove the individual’s right to re-enter the UK.Temporary Exclusion Orders (TEOs) enable the disruption and control of returning British citizens who are reasonably suspected of involvement in terrorism-related activity abroad. A TEO makes it unlawful for a subject to return to the UK without engaging with the UK authorities. TEOs place conditions upon return, including regular reporting to a police station and mandatory attendance on a deradicalisation program.There are a number of other powers available to investigate such individuals and prosecute them, where evidence of criminality exists. The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act, which became law on 12 February 2019, extends extra-territorial jurisdiction to both existing and new terrorism offences, as well as closing gaps and updating offences for modern technology and modern terrorist activity. It also creates a new offence of entering or remaining in an area outside the United Kingdom that has been designated by the Home Secretary if it is necessary for protecting the public from terrorism.Decisions on prosecutions are taken by the CPS.

Drugs: Organised Crime

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps is his Department is taking to tackle the exploitation of children in gangs for drug related criminal activity.

Victoria Atkins: The Government recognises the devastating impact of county lines activity on children and vulnerable people.  The Government has provided £3.6m to establish the new National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) to enhance our cross border intelligence and activity on county lines and to better safeguard and protect victims of county lines. Work is ongoing to protect the exploited and target the offenders, and the Centre has carried out two weeks of operational intensification in October and January leading to over 1100 arrests and over 1300 individuals safeguarded.In addition, the Government provides a range of support for county lines victims including: funding Young People’s Advocates in Birmingham, Manchester and London to provide help and support for young people exploited through county lines; funding through the Trusted Relationships fund of £13 million over two years to help foster relationships between frontline professionals and young people at risk of exploitation including county lines; and funding through the Early Intervention Youth Fund to support six projects that will specifically address those at risk of involvement in county lines and criminal exploitation.In addition, last October the Home Secretary announced a new £200m youth endowment fund which will provide support over the next 10 years for those young people most at risk of serious violence. A competition was launched to identify a suitable organisation or consortium to run the new Fund and proposals submitted by bidders are now being assessed. Further information will be made available shortly.

Visas

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to prevent people from overstaying the terms of their visa.

Caroline Nokes: All visas are assessed by fully trained Entry Clearance Officers. Every application is considered on its individual merits and in line with UK immigration rules and guidance. The visa is endorsed with the date of expiry.When someone has no legal right to remain in the UK they should return to their home country. We will help people who wish to leave voluntarily but will enforce the removal of those who refuse.

Domestic Visits: Haringey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) he and (b) the Minister with responsibility has plans to visit the London Borough of Haringey in the next six months.

Victoria Atkins: It is not Home Office policy to release detailed future accounts of any Home Office Minister’s diary. We do however release quarterly transparency data that details their past external meetings, which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/home-office-ministers-hospitality-data

Firearms and Knives: Haringey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number of incidents involving (a) knives and (b) firearms in the London Borough of Haringey for 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: The information requested is not collected centrally.The Home Office collects data on the number of offences involving knives or firearms recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force Area level but not at local authority level.Information on offences involving knives / sharp instruments or firearms by Police Force Area can be found in the Offences involving the use of weapons data tables published by the Office for National Statistics, available here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/offencesinvolvingtheuseofweaponsdatatables

Firearms and Knives: Hornsey and Wood Green

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department holds information on the number of incidents involving (a) knives and (b) firearms in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency in 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: The information requested is not collected centrally.The Home Office collects data on the number of offences involving knives or firearms recorded by the police in England and Wales at the Police Force Area level but not at local authority level.Information on offences involving knives / sharp instruments or firearms by Police Force Area can be found in the Offences involving the use of weapons data tables published by the Office for National Statistics, available here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/offencesinvolvingtheuseofweaponsdatatables

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2019 to Question 223140 on Home Office: Staff, what the definition is of Supplier resource costs; which costs are covered by that heading; and what the value is of each of those categories of costs.

Victoria Atkins: We define supplier resource costs as the total cost of the suppliers engaged to deliver outcomes and deliverables in support of the Immigration Platform Technology programme (IPT). Supplier resource costs in totality comprise the price of each individual supplier contract awarded.The contract price, essentially the ‘cost’ to us as the customer, will be made up of a number of different components including (but not limited to) manpower costs, general and administrative costs, physical infrastructure, IT infrastructure, taxation and profit. As our suppliers are contracted through competitive government frameworks on a ‘per outcome’, ‘per unit’ or ‘per day’ basis, we have no visibility of the categorised breakdown of such components. However we have broken down the costs to show the capital (CDEL) and resource (RDEL) expenditure splits across the 4 IPT workstreams as below: IPT PROGRAMMERdelCdelFull Year ForecastTotal (£m)SUPPLIER RESOURCE COSTS   Caseworking (Atlas)30%68%67%29,482Identity & Data14%11%11%5,053Person Summary0%5%5%2,221System Team56%15%17%7,474TOTAL SUPPLIER RESOURCE COSTS100%100%100%44,230

Gangs: Young People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on steps schools can take to reduce the number of young people joining gangs.

Victoria Atkins: The Serious Violence Strategy published in April last year places a new emphasis on early intervention and prevention and includes a range of measures to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime and violence in the first place.The Strategy specifically sets out measures to support schools and young people at risk of involvement in serious violence, such as commitments to improve guidance to services, exploring models of partnerships working between schools and police and to work with the Department for Education to consider the support provided to young people who are at risk or have been excluded from school. The Strategy further commits to fund early intervention and prevention initiatives, for example through the Early Intervention Youth Fund and Anti-Knife Crime Community Fund.The Home Secretary chairs the Serious Violence Taskforce, of which the Department for Education is a member, which brings together partners within government and across sectors to drive forward implementation of the Strategy. The Taskforce has discussed a range of issues including young people in gangs and how services, including the education system, can better identify these young people. The Inter-Ministerial Group on Serious Violence has also discussed the issue of vulnerable young people at risk of involvement in serious violence.

Deportation: British Nationals Abroad

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK nationals were deported back to the UK in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Caroline Nokes: We do not hold the data requested.

Detention Centres: Smoking

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to introduce a no-smoking policy at all UK Immigration Removal Centres.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office takes the safety and security of the immigration removal estate, and the welfare of all people in detention, very seriously.On 6 February 2018 the Home Office withdrew Detention Services Order 2/2014 and put in place measures to prohibit the practice of smoking inside immigration removal centres. Detainees still have controlled access to outside areas where they may smoke.Support is available to any detainee who wishes to give up smoking and needs help doing so.

Scotland Office

Common Fisheries Policy: Scotland

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions his Department had had with representatives of the Scottish Government on future financial support for the expansion of the Scottish fisheries sector after the UK leaves the common fisheries policy.

David Mundell: The UK Government is engaged in ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government on various matters in relation to fisheries as we look ahead to the opportunities for the Scottish fishing sector when we leave the Common Fisheries Policy. In December, the UK Government announced an extra £37.2 million of funding to boost the existing EMFF programme, to help the fishing industry prepare for the opportunities coming its way. This will equate to around £16.4 million for Scotland. It will be for the Scottish Government to decide how this is spent through the existing EMFF mechanism.

Cabinet Office

Crime

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many reported offences of each crime type there were in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England and Wales in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 18 February 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and a table will be placed in the Library. reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 73.14 KB)

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and a table will be placed in the Library. reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 73.14 KB)

Elections: Care Homes

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to enable residents of care homes to participate in elections.

Chloe Smith: To build on existing support given to people in care homes to register to vote and to exercise their votes, the Government has asked Electoral Registration Officers, Returning Officers and Electoral Service Managers to provide information on any novel or innovative actions they undertake to support care home residents in engaging in the democratic process. The information received will be analysed by the Government chaired Accessibility of Elections Working Group, which includes representatives from groups representing disabled people, organisations that represent electoral administrators and other interested parties such as the Electoral Commission, with a view to developing a record of good practice examples that can be shared to all with a role in supporting care homes residents to register to vote and vote at elections.

Interserve: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the contracted hourly rate is for Interserve staff working in the Cabinet Office.

Oliver Dowden: Interserve FM Limited provide a range of services to the Cabinet Office including cleaning, security, and catering. All outsourced facilities management staff are paid the National Living Wage or above.

Government Departments: Procurement

Peter Dowd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what checks HMRC makes to ensure that the supply chains of government contractors are tax compliant.

Oliver Dowden: Regulation 57 of the Public Contracts Regulations sets out the conditions in which contracting authorities must exclude bidders from a procurement process where they have established by verification or are otherwise aware, of a final and binding judicial or administrative decision that a bidder is in breach of tax and social security obligations. Contracting authorities may also exclude a bidder from participation in a procurement procedure where the contracting authority can demonstrate by any appropriate means that the bidder is in breach of its obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions. Regulation 71(8) extends these powers to exclude subcontractors.

One Public Estate Programme: West Sussex

Henry Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking through its One Public Estate programme to identify and release surplus public sector land for local regeneration projects in (a) Crawley constituency and (b) West Sussex.

Oliver Dowden: One Public Estate is a national programme that supports central and local government and wider public sector partners to collaborate on property-led projects. It aims to generate efficiencies, create economic growth (including homes and jobs) and deliver better, more integrated customer services. This includes supporting the identification and development of surplus and under-utilised public sector land and property. The West Sussex Partnership is led by West Sussex County Council and includes Crawley alongside seven district and borough councils, emergency services and health partners. To date, the Partnership has been allocated a total of £795,000. In Crawley, the programme is supporting local plans for town centre regeneration, which will explore the potential to develop a range of public sector assets within the town. The project will also look at the potential for a multi-agency hub. This could see a range of public services co-located, delivering significant efficiency savings and potential capital receipts for both central and local government, as well as driving local economic growth. The wider West Sussex One Public Estate programme includes county-wide projects that will consider opportunities to regenerate other towns, release surplus public sector land for housing or mixed use development, and deliver integrated services for local communities.

Crime: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many reported (a) homicides, (b) instances of fraud and forgery and (c) sexual offences there have been in the Metropolitan Police east area command in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 194.72 KB)

Brexit: Referendums

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to the public purse of holding a second referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

Mr David Lidington: No such estimate has been made. The Government has no plans to hold another referendum on EU membership. The Government remains committed to delivering on the result of the 2016 EU referendum by leaving the EU.

Brexit

Layla Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office,  what estimate the Government has made of the cost to the public purse of the planned television advertisements outlining how the UK's exit from the EU will affect the public.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office is leading and coordinating the cross-departmental Prepare for EU Exit public information campaign to help fulfil the Government’s duty to inform citizens and businesses about how leaving the EU might affect them, and to advise them on the steps they may need to take to prepare. In the coming weeks and months, we plan to use a range of paid-for and no-cost channels to direct citizens and businesses to a dedicated area on GOV.UK at Gov.uk/euexit.  The Cabinet Office has undertaken to publish information relating to ongoing expenditure on the public information campaign as part of the department’s monthly data transparency releases. The latest release (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data) showed that as of 31 December 2018, expenditure relating to this campaign totalled £300,000. In conjunction, Cabinet Office has committed to disclose full costs regarding the TV advertising as part of these data releases in due course.

Treasury

Biotechnology

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the BioIndustry Association report entitled Confident capital: backing U.K. biotech, published on 1 January 2019; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that 2019 is a successful year for the U.K. biotechnology sector.

Robert Jenrick: We welcome the BioIndustry Association report, which the Government launched at the BioIndustry Association’s event, Strategic Technologies in Life Sciences: The Future is Now, attended by myself on 24 January 2018. The Government is proactively supporting the UK’s strong life sciences sector. The Government has published two Life Sciences Sector Deals, which are supported by the Government’s commitment to delivering the biggest increase in R&D investment for 40 years. Since Autumn 2016, Government has committed an additional £7 billion in R&D by 2021-22, demonstrating clear progress towards the Government’s ambition to raise investment in R&D in the economy to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. At Budget 2017 the Government also announced a 10-year action plan to unlock over £20bn to finance growth in innovative firms, including life science companies.

Treasury: Redundancy

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the collective number of years of instutional experience is that HMRC has lost as a result of redundancies in the last twelve months.

Mel Stride: HMRC is reshaping to become a modern, flexible and cost-effective organisation, occupying fewer offices, and able to maximise revenue yield through increased compliance, greater capacity for digital business and by providing better, more personal services for its customers. Around 6,000 staff leave the department each year through resignations, retirements, and for other reasons. It is not possible to reliably calculate the exact number of years of experience which this equates to in any given year, as HMRC does not hold all the data necessary to adjust for those who are part-time, those who had career breaks, or those who worked other reduced working patterns.

Revenue and Customs: Brexit

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff were transferred to HMRC to work on issues relating to the UK's withdrawal from the EU in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Mel Stride: HMRC has used a variety of resourcing methods for the work on issues relating to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Information is not segmented to show how many staff have transferred to HMRC, to work on EU Exit.

Gift Aid: Fraud

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were prosecuted by HMRC for fraudulently claiming gift aid payments in 2018.

Mel Stride: During 2017/18 there were two Prosecutions against Gift Aid fraud, which resulted in two successful Convictions. At the end of the year, there were 22 ongoing investigations into Gift Aid Fraud.

Taxation: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff at HMRC work on issues related to tax and the overseas crown dependencies and territories.

Mel Stride: HMRC’s work on tackling international tax avoidance and on issues related to overseas crown dependencies and territories takes place across a range of areas within HMRC; ranging from compliance activity, litigation through to policy making. The majority of tax compliance work relating to these areas takes place in its Customer Compliance Group. There are currently around 25,000 people working in HMRC tackling all forms of non-compliance in the tax system.This flexible resource gives HMRC the capability to effectively tackle compliance risks. HMRC officers are a flexible resource and may work on a number of cases involving several different customer groups’ behaviours and risks at any one time.As such it is not possible to say how many staff work solely on these two specific areas.

VAT

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff at HMRC work on matters related to Value Added Tax.

Mel Stride: There are currently around 25,000 people working in HMRC tackling all forms of non-compliance in the tax system. They are a flexible resource and may work on a number of cases involving several different customer groups’ behaviours and tax risks at any one time to meet individual business needs. HMRC estimates that around 2,000-3,000 additional people work on matters related to VAT. This includes work on the policy, related processes, customer services, and other areas. As with HMRC’s compliance resource, people work flexibly and can be working on a range of taxes at any one point in time, not just VAT.

Taxation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff at HMRC work on issues related to tax compliance.

Mel Stride: There are currently around 25,000 people working in HMRC tackling all forms of non-compliance in the tax system.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Scotland

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he next plans to meet with his Scottish Government counterpart to discuss increasing the availability of superfast broadband in Scotland.

Margot James: The Secretary of State met his Scottish counterpart, Michael Matheson MSP, in August 2018 shortly after assuming the office of Secretary of State. Officials from Broadband Delivery UK meet regularly with Scottish officials on behalf of the Department to discuss broadband rollout in Scotland, with the most recent meeting being held on 21 February.

Children: Data Protection

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent apps from accessing the personal data of children without the permission of a parent or guardian.

Margot James: We take the protection of personal data very seriously, particularly when it relates to children and young people. Apps that process personal data must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Apps that offer online services need to obtain parental consent to the processing of personal data for children who are under the age of 13. By law they must also make reasonable efforts to verify that the person providing consent holds parental responsibility for the child. Organisations which fail to comply with this obligation may be subject to enforcement action by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The Data Protection Act 2018 also introduced a requirement for the ICO to produce a statutory code of practice on age-appropriate design. This code will ensure websites and apps are designed in a way that makes clear what data is being collected on children, how this data is being used, and how both children and parents can stay in control of this data. The ICO’s consultation on the age-appropriate design code of practice closed on 5 December 2018. Further information about the consultation is available on the ICO’s website at ico.org.uk

Facebook

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to assess the merits of Facebook’s business practices towards other developers as part of the Government review of the UK’s competition powers in April 2019.

Margot James: Competition investigations are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority. This is carried out independently of Government. The Government’s statutory review of competition law will assess the extent to which competition powers have been effective in fulfilling their aims.

Sports Competitors: Health

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to ensure UK sports organisations are meeting commitments on athlete welfare.

Mims Davies: Through the Culture Health Check survey, UK Sport are monitoring National Governing Bodies’ (NGBs) approach to culture and athlete welfare in the high performance system. NGBs are required to develop culture action plans based on their survey results, and UK Sport hold them to account for delivering these plans. As I stated in my speech on 13th February to UK Sport, it is important that our top athletes are treated fairly and with respect. I support UK Sport’s efforts to continue to make our elite sport system stronger.

Social Media: Age

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with social media companies on the adequacy of the (a) age limits on users of their services and (b) checks that those companies have in place on the age of users.

Margot James: The department has regular conversations with social media firms on a variety of issues. We want the UK to be the safest place to be online, including to prevent children under the minimum required age from using social media platformsAs a result, the government has been clear that platforms must do more to enforce their terms of use, especially when children under the minimum required age are using social media platforms. In addition, both my department and other government departments are working with the technology sector to identify new tools and approaches that can be used to verify the age of users.

Public Service Broadcasting: Digital Technology

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of changing the rules on prominence to support public service broadcasters on digital platforms.

Margot James: The Government recognises the value and importance of high quality public service content and the need for this to be widely accessible to viewers. That is why under the Digital Economy Act 2017 the Government required Ofcom to publish a report which looks at the ease of finding PSB content across all platforms. Ofcom has consulted on proposed changes to the linear EPG Code and how the prominence regime may need to change to ensure public service content remains accessible regardless of how consumers are accessing it. That consultation closed in October 2018 and we look forward to their findings in due course.

Digital Technology: Education

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on teaching digital skills in schools.

Margot James: Ministers have regular discussions with their Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, including on digital skills. Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Department of Education officials work together on the Digital Skills Partnership Computing in Schools Group which aims guide industry to maximise the benefits of their initiatives to support the teaching of computing in schools.

Artificial Intelligence: Public Sector

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that human biases are not replicated in artificial intelligence technologies used in public services.

Margot James: In June 2018, the Government published the Data Ethics Framework that sets out clear principles for how data should be used in the public sector. The framework helps government maximise the value of data whilst also setting a high level of requirements for transparency and accountability when developing or deploying new data technology. The Government also recently set up the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to provide independent, expert advice on the measures needed to enable and ensure safe, ethical and innovative uses of AI and data-driven technologies. One of the Centre's first projects will investigate the potential for bias in decisions made using algorithms. An interim update on these projects is expected in the summer. This work will play an important role in promoting and ensuring fairness and the ethical use of data to deliver maximum benefits for society.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress he has made in commissioning the National Citizen Service 2.0.

Mims Davies: The Recommissioning Programme is midway through its procurement of all Network Partners who will be delivering the NCS programme from 2020 onwards. All bids for those Management, Delivery and Recruitment Partners have been received, with their evaluation on track and due to complete end-March. The NCS Trust plan to award contracts in July 2019.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Incentives

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the average in-year bonus was for (a) male and (b) female staff in his Department at each grade in each of the last three years.

Margot James: The information below details the average in-year bonus by gender and grade for each of the last three financial years. The 2016/17 and 2017/18 tables use information consistent with that used for the respective gender pay gap calculations. The 2015/16 table is based on the same information from that year although this was before the legislative requirement to publish the gender pay gap came into effect.Grades C and D have been combined as the sample size for grade D is too small to report on alone.   2017/18GradeGenderCount of in year awardsAverage in year bonusC and DM23£ 278F33£ 273BM51£ 316F71£ 309AM50£ 256F44£ 350A(U)M6£ 312F17£ 404 2016/17GradeGenderCount of in year awardsAverage in year bonusC and DM16£ 225F19£ 248BM41£ 256F39£ 268AM34£ 241F39£ 333A(U)M6£ 408F10£ 2572015/16GradeGenderCount of in year awardsAverage in year bonusC and DM26£ 269F15£ 317BM30£ 350F42£ 324AM34£ 318F31£ 356A(U)M6£ 342F7£ 471

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Incentives

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's Gender Pay Gap Report 2018, for what reasons at Grade A 32.26 per cent of men received bonuses compared to 18.75 per cent of women.

Margot James: To clarify, the figures specified in this question relate to the percentages of men and women at Grade A(U) who received end of year bonuses and does not include data relating to in-year bonuses. At Grade A (which has nearly 5 times as many staff members than grade A(U)), 14.84% of men received end of year bonuses compared to 18.06% of women.  Grade A(U) is the smallest of the delegated grades (other than grade D). A total of 16 individuals, out of 63, within this grade were granted end of year bonuses and so the overall percentage of staff receiving end of year awards at this grade is easily skewed due to the small sample size.  Across the department as a whole, the percentages of men and women receiving end of year awards were very similar (15.1% of men and 15.5% of women).

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Assembly: Members

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland of 13 February 2019, Official Report, column 911, how much has been paid in salaries to Members of the Legislative Assembly since the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly in January 2017; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Since January 2017, £9,689,201 has been paid in salaries to Members of the Legislative Assembly. The total cost including salaries, social security, and other pension costs for the same period is £12,367,952.These figures have been provided by the Assembly Commission which holds the budget for the payment of salaries to MLAs.

Belfast Agreement: Anniversaries

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office of 27 February 2019, Official Report column 367, what preparations the Government is making to mark the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The Government does not have any current plans to mark the day with any official commemorations. I shall, however, be using the occasion to remind people of the huge progress that has been made in Northern Ireland over the past 21 years as a result of the Belfast Agreement and its successors, and to stress the need for the earliest possible restoration of devolved government.

Women and Equalities

Females: Equality

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving access for women's organisations and coalitions to engage with Government.

Victoria Atkins: The Minister for Women and Equalities regularly discusses gender equality issues with Cabinet colleagues and this Government is committed to tackling the major injustices that hold women back. We regularly consult with women’s organisations as we develop policies, and will continue to do so. For example, we have engaged with women’s groups through the Centenary Programme, Returners Programme and the LGBT action plan.The Government Equalities Office is currently developing a programme of work to ensure that women’s voices are better heard by policymakers. Our aim is to understand the barriers that women face and enable them to fulfil their potential.